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Skriven 2007-05-30 23:31:16 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (070530c) for Wed, 2007 May 30
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Mrs. Bush's Remarks at the Sesame Workshop Fifth Annual Benefit Dinner
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For Immediate Release Office of the First Lady May 30, 2007

Mrs. Bush's Remarks at the Sesame Workshop Fifth Annual Benefit Dinner
Cipriani 42nd Street New York, New York



8:12 P.M. EDT

MRS. BUSH: Thank you all. Thank you very much for the very warm welcome.
And thank you, Barbara and Jenna, for your introduction. When Barbara and
Jenna were little girls, we loved to watch Sesame Street. Big Bird, Oscar
and the rest of the gang will always have a special place in our hearts as
they do in the hearts of families across our country and around the world.

I'm pleased to be here with this evening's host, Matt Lauer, and everyone's
favorite red furry monster. Elmo first appeared on Sesame Street in 1984,
yet Elmo still doesn't look a day over three and a half. (Laughter.) Elmo
and I have been through a lot together, as you can tell from the video.
We've chatted with world-class authors, and we've met with royalty. We
appeared together on Sesame Street where Elmo and I taught children the
sound of the letter "W." I thought they gave me a very appropriate letter.
(Laughter.)

Tonight we're together to recognize Jim Rohr, who works tirelessly to
improve access and quality of early childhood education. Congratulations,
Jim, on this award. (Applause.)

And of course, none of us would be here tonight without Joan Ganz Cooney.
Thank you, Joan, for giving the world Sesame Street. (Applause.)

From Egypt to India, Brazil to Bangladesh, Sesame Workshop reaches children
in more than 120 countries. Children are learning to count, they're
learning the days of the week and the colors of the rainbow because of
Sesame's shows produced in their own languages and cultures.

Last year the Indian version of Sesame Street, Galli Galli Sim Sim,
launched its first season. This past April, Alam Simsim celebrated 10 years
of reaching Egyptian children with otherwise limited access to early
education.

These shows teach children how to get along with their neighbors, how to
practice good hygiene, and, most important, these shows are giving children
the skills to learn how to read.

Reading is vital to improving lives around the world. Being able to read,
and choosing what we read, is how we shape our beliefs, our minds and our
characters. Fathers and mothers who can read can earn a living for
themselves and their families. Literacy means self-reliance and
independence, and it can even mean the difference between life and death.
Parents who can read can understand warning signs, and read a label on a
bottle of medicine.

Today, more than 800 million people are illiterate; 100 million children
are not in school, which means they're not learning to read. And of the 700
million adults who cannot read a simple book, more than two-thirds of them
are women.

Expanding opportunities for education requires hard work and dedication.
And the people at Sesame Workshop continue to show this dedication.

Here in the United States, your show is the longest-running of any
children's television program, with 8 million viewers tuning in every week.
The 38th season of Sesame Street will debut this August, and I'm thrilled
that its focus will be literacy. New episodes will feature segments on
letter recognition, letter sounds, rhyming, and building vocabulary -- all
the skills that are needed to develop good readers.

So tonight, I want to thank Sesame Workshop and all of its supporters for
your commitment to education for children around the world and here at
home.

I'm honored to receive this award, and I'm grateful for the work that you
do to ensure opportunity for every child -- today, and for generations to
come. Thank you all very much. (Applause.)

END 8:17 P.M. EDT
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