Shipshewana Is a Town of Character
The character of a community is dependent on the values held by that community.
In May of 2000, then Vice President Judy Yoder led the Town Council to enact a
resolution (reprinted below) that established the Town of Shipshewana as a Town
of Character, recognized by the International
Association of Character Cities.
Qualities
of Character
Alertness
Attentiveness
Availability
Benevolence
Boldness
Cautiousness
Compassion
Contentment
Creativity
Decisiveness
Deference
Dependability
Determination
Diligence
Discernment
Discretion
Endurance
Enthusiasm
Faith
Flexibility
Forgiveness
Generosity
Gentleness
Gratefulness
Hospitality
Humility
Initiative
Joyfulness
Justice
Loyalty
Meekness
Obedience
Orderliness
Patience
Persuasiveness
Punctuality
Resourceful
Responsibility
Reverence
Security
Self-Control
Sensitivity
Sincerity
Thoroughness
Thriftiness
Tolerance
Truthfulness
Virtue
Wisdom |
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The goal is a community of individuals who demonstrate good character regardless
of external circumstances, a place where:
- Citizens care for one another
- Families are healthy and united
- Faith-based organizations are compassionate
- Education is effective
- Business is successful
- Government serves the citizens
- Homes and streets are safe
As leaders in the community the Town Council desires to use their influence
in a positive way to foster a community culture where good character is encouraged
and praised. To this end, the council has appointed a steering committee, the
Shipshewana Character Council, which meets on third Wednesdays of each
month at 7:00am at the Blue Gate Restaurant. If you have questions regarding the
Town of Character program, you are invited to contact our Town
Manager.
Mission Statement:
Our goal is to strengthen citizens, their families, and the community as a
whole by promoting excellence in character, and thereby to help our city become
known as a City of Character
Therefore:
- We will endeavor to gain the support of our community leader in modeling
and promoting good character;
- We will learn how character is built into the lives of individuals
and adopt character initiatives that apply to each sector within our community;
- We will strive to establish a community culture that encourages, recognizes,
and rewards good character;
- We will emphasize character rather than achievement, since achievement
with excellence, by its very nature, requires good character;
- We will evaluate the decisions, policies, and statues of our city on
the basis of whether they reward good character or promote bad character;
- We will assess all our activities on a regular basis to ensure we are
making progress toward our goal of becoming a city known for the good character
of its citizens.
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Good character is inward motivation to do what is right, according to the highest
standards of behavior, in every situation. Good character transcends age, position,
financial status, race, religion, education, gender, and personality. Good character
is inspired by the conscience.
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