Character Education Now (CEN) is a non-profit organization that works closely with students, parents, teachers and staff within the school district. CEN provides support and encouragement to all of these parties through several different programs and events throughout the school year. CEN was founded in 2010 in Perry, FL by Paul Nawlin. Paul, at that time having already served as a pastor for 25 years, kept hearing time and time again from parents, business owners, pastors and several others in the community how character was lacking in our youth today, and how helpless they felt to overcome it. Paul decided right then that only sitting and talking about a problem so dire wouldn't help anybody, and so, CEN was born.The experience that Paul brought to the table - with leading churches, teaching at schools, working closely with the school system, and working through the Boys & Girls club - put him in a very unique position to know what the teachers and staff were struggling with, and what the parents were struggling with about the students in Perry. From these struggles of respect, attention, attendance, and overall performance came the four core programs that set the foundation for Character Education Now: Words of Wisdom, Character Under Construction, Small-Group Mentoring and Adopt-a-Grade