Mrs. Laura Bush Presents 2008 Coming Up Awards at White House Ceremony

"The study of the arts and humanities gives children the chance to be extraordinary and the power to be themselves. Today, we're honoring 19 terrific programs that help young people use their creativity and their talents to succeed. " --Mrs. Laura Bush, Coming Up Taller ceremony November 14

Mrs. Laura Bush presented the 2008 Coming Up Taller Awards (CUT) at a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on November 14. Groups from 19 communities in the U.S., Mexico, China and Egypt were honored for their outstanding arts and humanities programs that celebrate the creativity of young people, providing them with new learning opportunities and a chance to contribute to their communities.

“The arts and humanities develop bright young people who will lead our nation in the future. Coming Up Taller recognizes the best of after-school and summer programs that engage youth in music, theatre, dance, photography, history and all kinds of enriching activities that help them realize their full potential as human beings.
--Adair Margo, Chairman, President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.

Joining Mrs. Laura Bush and PCAH Chairman Adair Margo in presenting the awards to participants in each program were representatives from the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Special guests included new Minister of Culture for the People's Republic of China, Cao Wu, Minister Amr Ramadan (Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt) and Director General Alvaro Hegewisch of Mexico's Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (CONACULTA).

PCAH Honorary Chairman Mrs. Laura Bush congratulates Kamil McFadden of the Youth Ensemble of Atlanta.

CUT award winner Berklee City Music performs at the Coming Up Taller ceremony.

Each program will receive $10,000 in honor of their accomplishments in enriching the lives of young people and their communities. Organizations from the U.S. receiving awards included the following: Youth Ensemble of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA; Alaska Native Heritage Center, Anchorage, AK; Sura Arts Academy, Dearborn, MI; Latino Arts Strings Program, Milwaukee, WI; Word Journeys, Tucson, AZ; Queens Teens, New York, NY; America Scores, New York, NY; Tada! Resident Youth Ensemble, New York, NY; Summer Arts For Youth, Indianapolis, IN; Journey: The Aja Project, San Diego, CA; Simpson Street Free Press, Madison, WI; Berklee City Music Program, Boston, MA; Project Jericho, Springfield, OH; and Fulton Youtheatre Program, Lancaster, PA.

This year Coming Up Taller added Egypt to its international honorees, which include China and Mexico, with an award to the Friday Workshops for Working Children Townhouse Gallery of Contemporary Art in Cairo, Egypt. The two programs from Mexico to receive CUT awards were the Boys and Girls to The Rescue of Cultural Roots, Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico; and the Children's Marimba Workshops, Ministry Of Culture, State Of Oaxaca. Also receiving an award was the Amateur Actor Training Class Of Shaanxi Qin Qiang OperaXi’an, Shaanxi Province, People's Republic of China.

Mrs. Laura Bush and Minister Cai Wu (far right) present a CUT award to Shaanxi Qin Qiang Opera

Coming Up Taller is an initiative of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).