Oct. 7, 2009

BEAUMONT - The Lamar University Lady Cardinal basketball team, along with the Beaumont Independent School District and ExxonMobil, will again make their presence known in the community through their highly successful Character Counts Program.

This program consists of teaching young girls the Six Pillars of Character - trustworthiness, respect, responsibility. fairness, caring and citizenship.

Middle schools involved in the program within the BISD are Austin, King, Marshall, Odom Academy, Smith, South Park and Vincent.

"Without a doubt, without hesitation and without question, this is one of my favorite community services as it teaches our players to give back to the community," said Lady Cardinal coach Larry Tidwell. "It's as good for our players as it is for the young ladies with whom we're working."

Activities in the program include Lady Cardinal players visiting school campuses on a weekly basis, attending middle school games along with their coaches, recognizing all middle school girls who achieve the A-B honor roll and inviting all middle school girls to the Montagne Center to attend a Character Counts seminar with an added bonus of attending a Lady Cardinal game to include lunch and a Lamar T-shirt provided by ExxonMobil.

"The leadership in the BISD provided by superintendant Dr. Carroll Thomas, Ms. Jessie Haynes and Dr. David Harris has been instrumental in the continued success of this program," added Tidwell. "I cannot say enough about the extreme appreciation we have for the middle school principals, counselors and coaches who have stepped forward to welcome us to their campuses.

Lamar assistant coach Emily Spickler, a former Lady Cardinal player and an LU graduate, is the director of the program. She receives ample support from fellow coaches Joey Wells and Heather Morris as well as from the Lady Card players and other members of the athletic staff.

"Without ExxonMobil, this program wouldn't be possible," said Tidwell. "One cannot say enough about the difference ExxonMobil makes in this community. It's a great feeling to have one of our world leaders supporting Lamar University and its programs."