Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.— Helen Keller, Alabama native and American social activist, public speaker and author (1880-1968)

Good character is something that Jaye Herrod, Miss Fountain City 2008, knows all too well. To date, she has promoted her community service platform, The Pursuit of Character, by volunteering thousands of hours to service projects and character education within the state of Alabama and her community of Prattville.

Jaye was recently named the spokesperson for the Autauga County/ City of Prattville’s Youth Character Coalition, after spending months developing this new program for Autauga County youth. The teens are selected from the private and public high schools throughout Autauga County. They will come together each month to discuss the character trait of the month. Their charge will then be to take that trait back to their schools and share it will the students, including those in service and social clubs. The Youth Character Coalition will also work together on a community service project, to be completed later in the year.

By way of the Youth Character Coalition, Herrod also serves with the Autauga/Prattville Character Coalition. The City was appointed a “Character City” last year, only the second city in the state of Alabama, by the national Character Council – Character First. The nationwide program’s goal is to educate the communities across the United States on 49 good character traits over a four year course. This is done by promoting the character trait of the month to schools, businesses, churches and families in the community. Traits include: honesty, compassion, obedience, joyfulness, availability and generosity.

She recently met with Greg Meadows of WIQR radio to record four months of public service announcements which will run each month on the radio station. The PSA’s will address the traits of the month: compassion, persuasiveness, wisdom and alertness.

When she and Miss Fountain City Director, DiDi Henry, began to plan the radio announcements, they were both struck with the irony that the character trait for the month of March is compassion. This seemed so appropriate since Prattville residents have shown compassion and have been the recipient of that compassion, with last month’s devastating tornado. “Even during this very trying time, neighbors reached out to helped neighbors and thousands of volunteers came to Prattville to help us put our town and our lives back together. Compassion was being demonstrated everywhere we turned. I am just so very proud of our community,” Herrod said.

To book Miss Fountain City, Jaye Herrod, to speak to your school, organization and church about The Pursuit of Character, please call 358-0297. Miss Fountain City is a preliminary to the Miss Alabama/Miss America scholarship pageants. To learn more about the Character Coalition, call Mary Beth Pritchard at 365-7392.