NOTE FROM THE FIRST LADY

Today across America, homeless children are painting with watercolors and studying Impressionism. Asian- American students are reading Asian Pacific American literature to explore their culture. Teenagers are attending facilitator workshops to learn how to talk to their peers about prejudice and teen pregnancy. And fifth-graders are practicing traditional Brazilian dance and drumming, a native custom of families in their community.

These children are expressing themselves and having fun. And most importantly, they are learning. They are discovering who they are, who they can become, and that they can do anything they set their minds to. Today, our children are gaining a greater sense of character, confidence and community, thanks to arts and humanities programs sponsored by Coming Up Taller.

Through Coming Up Taller programs more children are tuning into violins and music rather than television. More are participating in plays and workshops than in violence. Rather than giving up, they are giving in to the joy of painting a mural to beautify an old building or bringing Peter Pan to life on stage.

Coming Up Taller is helping our children grow up stronger, smarter and kinder. Arts and humanities foster children's creativity, imagination, and intellectual development through hands-on teaching and learning. Coming Up Taller programs engage students in learning in a safe environment where they can make new friends and spend time with caring adults who are great role models.

Children share their ideas and express how they feel through music, painting and writing. Through performances and exhibitions, children are recognized and applauded for their accomplishments. They learn success, discipline and teamwork. And above all, they learn to love learning.

Arts and humanities are critical building blocks for a child's development and provide a strong foundation for learning in the classroom and throughout life. Drawing helps children improve their writing skills. Poetry helps with memory. Theater brings history to life. Arts and humanities help to further develop vocabulary and critical thinking skills and an appreciation of math and science.

Coming Up Taller arts and humanities programs provide all of this in a fun and engaging way that children respond to. And they especially respond to the gifted teachers, artists, and musicians who share their love, their time and their talent with our children.

I am delighted to be part of the Coming Up Taller Awards, which celebrate the creativity and individuality of our children and the dedicated Americans who help them to realize their dreams. As Honorary Chair of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, I join with the members of the President's Committee, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the National Endowment for the Arts in saluting the Coming Up Taller Award recipients for the remarkable difference they are making in our children's lives, in our communities and in our country.

Laura Bush

Honorary Chair, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities