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Mrs. Laura Bush Presents 2007 Coming Up Awards at White House CeremonyThe President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities Honorary Chairman Mrs. Laura Bush presented eighteen 2007 Coming Up Taller Awards during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on January 28. The Coming Up Taller Awards recognize and support outstanding community arts and humanities programs that celebrate the creativity of America’s young people, and provide them with new learning opportunities and a chance to contribute to their communities. The awards also highlight the contributions that historians, scholars, librarians and visual and performing arts make to families and communities by mentoring children. More than 350 nominations were received by the program in 2007.  The Richmond Boys Choir (above)
was one of 18 2007 Coming Up Taller honorees and they performed during
the ceremony at the White House.
“[Adair Margo] believes what all of us believe who work with young people in the arts, and that is, we really can change lives for the better, and that we really are choosing a life, a wonderful way to live, when we teach and study the arts and humanities. . . Choirs and theater groups entertain. Museum and heritage programs educate. Art and dance studios delight and inspire. And every single Coming Up Taller program helps young people use their energy and creativity to succeed,” said Mrs. Laura Bush. President’s Committee Chairman Adair Margo joined Mrs. Laura Bush in presenting the awards along with the Chairmen and Director of the program’s partners, which include the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Also joining Chairman Margo was PCAH Committee Member Elizabeth Dubin. “This is the tenth anniversary of the Coming Up Taller awards. The program has grown over that time into a radiant national and international program with the inclusion of Mexico and now China. Coming Up Taller’s decade of recognition and support has helped unleash the creativity of young people with great potential, but limited opportunities,” said Adair Margo, PCAH Chairman. In her remarks, Chairman Margo thanked Mrs. Laura Bush for her leadership
in helping the Coming Up Taller program grow into an international program.
In 2002, two Mexican programs were added and this year Coming Up Taller
took another step in advancing cultural understanding with the inclusion
of the Little Companion Art Troupe from the People’s Republic of
China. Over the past ten years more than 100 programs and organizations
have received Coming Up Taller awards and another 350 have been recognized
as semi-finalists. Over this same time period, more 2500 nominations have
been submitted for this prestigious award, which is the nation’s
highest honor for arts and humanities youth education programs. |
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