About Us
We Choose Virtues was created by Heather McMillan...
my wife of 34 years, who started We Choose Virtues out of her love for children and her desire to see them reach their personal potential. As a preschool teacher it concerned her how often she came across children whose lack of self-control, honesty and perseverance was almost debilitating. How could they succeed in life without the skills that come from good character?
Many grade school teachers she knew admitted that it sometimes takes from September to winter break for their students to follow even the simplest classroom instructions. This crisis in personal character seemed to be obstructing the learning process for their entire classrooms. How do we teach kids respect? What's the best way for helping kids focus?
As her passion continued to grow, she realized that she wanted to teach children how to change. Not just a momentary change of actions, but a more lasting change in their attitudes as well. Her observation is that children needed to be inspired by simple, positive and consistent instructions, and parents and teachers needed an effective language with which to communicate these instructions.
It was out of this necessity that Heather created the original list of virtues and their unforgettable catchphrases. She used them as a homeschool resource with our four children, taught them in her own Preschool classroom, and introduced them to fellow teachers, parents, and professional counselors. They were enthusiastically received and the results were outstanding. Since our first products were published in 2010 these same helpful phrases have been used by teachers in 37 countries and more than 14,000 homes in the USA.
We are excited to be able to bring you We Choose Virtues…Simply Inspiring Character that Lasts. I suggest you put our tools to the test. I think you’ll be glad you chose Virtues!
Elton McMillan Jr.
Pete and his wife Linda are our long-time friends and owners of Bottle Caps Design Studio. As you can tell by looking at our graphic designs and illustrations, they put their whole heart into this project right along-side us...and continue to do so. At the end of a long year of drawing, painting, photographing, designing and editing, we get to enjoy the fruit of their labor. Kids love the Virtues...mostly because they love Airplane Betty Jane and her adorable friends. We can't thank you enough, Pete! You brought the Virtue Kids to life!
We Choose Virtues would like to show their appreciation to the McMillan Kids. During the creation of this company in 2009 they let their mother live in her office while they made their own meals and were generally fine with it. They helped fill orders, enter receipts, file invoices, organize the stockroom, and listen to their parents try the Virtues out on them. They even agreed to sell the family boat for operating cash. They are the future CEO's of the family business. So, even though we don't exactly live in VirtueVille, they really are the Virtue Kids and we wouldn't want to do this without them. ~Mom and Dad
Our BOYS left to right: Destiny's Josh and our sons Avery, Elty and Caleb. GIRLS left to right: our daughter, Destiny and Avery's Sarah, Caleb's Sarah and Elty's Amber. In this picture our first two grandbabies were on the way!
Where are we from? An Oregon town boasting 3,300 people and one traffic light. Harrisburg is bordered by the banks of the mighty Willamette River on the West and grass seed fields that roll on for mile after cultivated mile to the East. The Cascade Mountain ranges and Coburg foothills create a sheltered backdrop. In the midst of this pastoral setting is the birthplace of We Choose Virtues. In this season, we find ourselves at home in North Richland Hills, Texas!
