Proclamations Proc. 7366 time our children spend in school, we have also created partnerships with States under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to assist school districts in developing curriculum materials, providing teacher training, and integrating character education into the curriculum. We have funded innovative after-school programs to offer young people mentors and role models to inspire them and to engage them in productive activities at the end of the school day. We have also promoted citizen service--one of the greatest character-build- ing tools available to our society. Through initiatives such as America Reads, the Corporation for National and Community Service, the National Senior Service Corps, the Peace Corps, and AmeriCorps, Americans of every age, background, gender, and race are experiencing the rewards of helping others, and in the process becoming more responsible citizens. We can also teach young Americans a vital lesson about character by exercising our right to vote and participating in the democratic process--a process that Americans of notable character established more than two centuries ago. NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitu- tion and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 15 through October 21, 2000, as National Character Counts Week. I call upon the peo- ple of the United States, government officials, educators, religious, commu- nity, and business leaders to commemorate this week with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth. WILLIAM J. CLINTON Proclamation 7366 of October 14, 2000 National Forest Products Week, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation In the early years of the 20th century, President Theodore Roosevelt chal- lenged his fellow citizens to begin the vital task of conserving the precious natural resources with which America has been so abundantly blessed. As part of his notable conservation achievements, he consolidated 65 million acres of Federal forest reserves into the National Forest System and created the United States Forest Service to provide wise stewardship of these lands for future generations. Today, the National Forest System comprises more than 190 million acres of forests and grasslands, a priceless remnant of the great wilderness that once stretched across our country. Whether sustaining ecosystems, sup- plying water, providing lumber, or offering recreation, these precious areas benefit millions of Americans. 185
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