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Skriven 2006-01-25 23:33:30 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0601255) for Wed, 2006 Jan 25
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Mrs. Bush's Remarks at the Coming Up Taller Awards Ceremony
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For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
January 25, 2006

Mrs. Bush's Remarks at the Coming Up Taller Awards Ceremony
The East Room



2:45 P.M. EST

MRS. BUSH: Thanks, everybody, and welcome to the White House. I'm so happy
that we have this chance together here to celebrate arts programs that are
helping boys and girls develop their talents and find their own voices. The
programs we recognize with the Coming Up Taller awards bring caring adults
into the lives of children so that these children can grow up to be
successful and healthy adults themselves. Congratulations to all the award
winners.

Thanks very much also to the people who make the awards possible: Adair
Margo, the Chair of the President's Committee on Art and Humanities, and
her whole committee; Bruce Cole, Chairman of the National Endowment for the
Arts -- for the Humanities; Dana Gioia, Chairman for the National Endowment
for the Arts; Mary Chute, the Acting Director of the Institute for Museum
and Library Services.

This year, we again recognize two programs from Mexico, so I'd like to
welcome Mexico's Ambassador to the United States, Ambassador Carlos de
Icaza. Thank you very much, Ambassador, for joining us. And, Luisa, thank
you for joining us, as well.

And thanks also for the members of Congress who have joined us today:
Senator Johnny Isakson from Georgia; Congressman Dennis Moore and his wife
Stephene from Kansas; and Congressman Steve Pearce and his with Cynthia
from New Mexico. Thank you all very much for joining us today. I know
you're proud of your groups that are here that are winning Coming Up Taller
awards.

And special thanks to Debbie Allen, who has touched the lives of so many
through dance and music.

I also want to thank all of the adults who teach and inspire children.
Thank you very much for what you do.

Children of every age need caring adults in their lives, and that message
is at the heart of Helping America's Youth, an initiative which President
Bush announced last year in his State of the Union address and then asked
me to lead.

I've visited programs all over our country that bring together children and
their mentors -- programs that help students succeed in school, or teach
character lessons through sports -- and programs like the ones we honor
today, that open a whole new world to children by introducing them to the
arts.

In Los Angeles, I saw a performance of Will Power to Youth, a program that
employs teenagers to stage productions of Shakespeare. Will Power is a
former Coming Up Taller award winner, and they were here for the summit,
White House summit on Helping America's Youth.

This year's award winners help young people succeed in every part of their
life. One hundred percent of the 18 seniors in Harlem's TRUCE program
graduated from high school and were accepted by at least one college.

Students at the Castle Performing Arts Learning Center in Hawaii have
higher graduation rates, higher grade point averages, and higher SAT scores
than their peers.

Participants in the Cathedral Choir School of Delaware learn how to sing in
at least five languages. In Atlanta, "Moving in the Spirit" teaches dance
and choreography. The Cultural Alternatives Division of Connecticut
introduces young people to creative writing, photography, dance, and
cultural drumming.

Several programs are structured around reading and writing. In Illinois,
"Literature for All of Us" gives girls new books every month -- books that
they will then read and discuss in weekly groups. Oprah should hear about
their book club. (Laughter.)

At the Chicago Avenue Project in Minneapolis, children first become
characters in plays written especially for them by professional writers.
And then they write their own plays to express their views of the world.

At the Brown University Summer High School, students study and perform
complex classic works by Shakespeare and George Bernard Shaw and Rudolfo
Anaya.

Participants in the Teen Media Program in Cambridge, Mass., express
themselves through video and photography and work on the annual National
Youth Video and Film Festival. The International Center of Photography
helps youth in the Bronx picture a brighter future by teaching the
principles of photography.

Coming Up Taller award winners also give young people the chance to make
important contributions to their own communities. Youth-Art-in-Action,
sponsored by Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, helps young people make art for
public spaces. In Lawrence, Kansas, JAMS -- which stands for "Jobs in the
Arts Make Sense" -- helps teens and young adults earn money through art
projects. Projects have ranged from decorating park benches to painting
community murals.

Family, history, and culture play a significant role in Coming Up Taller
programs. The School Project of Venice, California, is a theater-based
program that includes two parent/child workshops and then performances for
family and friends in a professional theater. The Philadelphia Museum of
Art's Latino Outreach Program features a Latino Family Day, during which
children stage performances to demonstrate what they've learned about
Latino art, history, and culture.

In Denver, Colorado, "Old Stories, New Voices" give boys and girls a deeper
understanding of how people of past generations and diverse cultures lived
in the American West. And this year's Mexican award winners -- The Art and
Children Project in Nogales and the Margarita Septien Ludic Center in
Colima -- use dance, music, storytelling, theater, and crafts to bring
indigenous cultural traditions and customs to a new generation.

By developing their talents and skills, drawing closer to their families
and their cultures, young people who participate in the arts have more
opportunities to build a successful life. Thank you to everyone who works
with children in a Coming Up Taller award-winning program. You can proudly
say that you're helping youth in your community.

Now I want to introduce Adair Margo, although I think -- is it right now?
Okay, we're going to have a little interruption that we hadn't really
planned on, and that is, the President's helicopter is going to land
sometime during the program. So we're trying to schedule it so we can all
run out onto the porch -- (laughter) -- watch the helicopter landing, and
then come back in for the choir or the dance. (Laughter.) So if you thought
my speech was fast, that was one of the reasons.

Now I want to introduce a very good friend of mine and a great friend to
the arts in the United States, and that's the Chair of the President's
Committee on Arts and Humanities, Adair Margo. (Applause.)

* * * * *

Thank you all very much. That was a wonderful performance, the Zulu song.
It was really absolutely beautiful. Thanks to the Cathedral Choir School of
Delaware. Thank you very much. And thanks to our dancers, the Moving in the
Spirit dancers from Atlanta. Thank you all very, very much, as well. Debbie
Allen, you're terrific. (Laughter.) Thank you for serving on the
President's Committee and inspiring children here and everywhere around the
world. And Adair, you were terrific, as well. And thanks, everyone. Now, we
can retire to the dining room for the reception. So we have food next.
(Laughter.) Thank you all so much. Thanks so much for coming. (Applause.)

END

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