REMARKS BY WILLIAM STRICKLAND, MEMBER, PRESIDENT'S COMMITTEE ON THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES, AT THE COMING UP TALLER AWARDS CEREMONY, DECEMBER 2, 2002

I am very honored as a member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities to be asked to contribute a few words at this remarkable event. My organization, Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, was in the first class of recipients of the Coming Up Taller Award in 1998. So for me to be selected to greet the newest members of this distinguished group is very special. I can tell all of you that to be selected into this group will mean a lot to you as individuals but more importantly, it will mean a great deal to your organization, the community, and people that you represent. My organization has received greater visibility, been able to raise substantially more program funds, and attract more powerful and influential board members because of the prestige associated with the Coming Up Taller award. I predict the same will happen with each of you, as it should. Each of you are, in my view, custodians of the human spirit. Your determination, celebration and insistence on doing the right thing has now literally been recognized by the United States of America and in a time fraught with fear, uncertainty and damage, it is your belief in the power of sunlight and often times caring for the least amongst us in is what this country is all about. We hope to expand on this award to try and reach and touch in some way every organization that delivers hope, humanity and the human spirit.

It is my hope that all of you will remember this day and the special people who came together to insure that your efforts will never be forgotten and that because of this recognition you feel a renewed spirit and energy to carry this work forward against sometimes difficult odds. You are not alone and you matter a great deal. Your responsibility is to encourage others to follow your lead and to now join us in welcoming future generations of Coming Up Taller awardees.

I wish all of you the very best that life has to offer and congratulations on an achievement of a lifetime.