National Coming Up Taller Award

Partners for Youth with Disabilities' Access to Theatre Program is one of 17 recipients chosen to receive the National Coming Up Taller Award from the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities at ceremony in Capitol on December 14, 2004.

Partners for Youth with Disabilities' Access to Theatre Program, nominated by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, is one of seventeen non-profit organizations honored with a Coming Up Taller Award from the President's Committee on Arts and Humanities. The awards are conferred annually by the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities (PCAH), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and recognize the recipients for their outstanding work with underserved youth.

Mary Ann Gallagher of PYD recieving the award from First Lady Laura Bush and William Strickland, member of the President's Committee

Award recipients receive $10,000 and participate in the awards ceremony at the Capitol on December 14, 2004. Seventeen organizations were chosen out of 300 applicants from the U.S. and Mexico in a highly competitive process. Partners for Youth with Disabilities' Access to Theatre Program is the only Massachusetts organization to receive the award this year, and is one of two programs chosen from the New England area. The Coming Up Taller Awards recognize and support outstanding community arts and humanities program that celebrate the creativity of America's young people, provide them with new learning opportunities, and chances to contribute to their communities. The awards also highlight the contributions that historians, scholars, librarians, and visual and performing artists make to families and communities by mentoring and teaching children.

"I congratulate this year's Coming Up Taller Award recipients for the exemplary work they are doing and the outstanding opportunities they are providing to enrich the lives of young people," said Mrs. Laura Bush, Honorary Chair of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.

Award presentation with Donna Folan, Creative Director of Boston based Partners for Youth with Disabilities' Access to Theatre Program, William Strickland, member of the President's Committee, Mary Ann Gallagher and First Lady Laura Bush

For 10 years, Partners for Youth with Disabilities' Access to Theatre program has been providing accessible performing arts opportunities for youth with and without disabilities that help them to develop creative expression, self esteem, leadership and friendship. A key quality of the program is the integration of youth with and without disabilities, providing them with the opportunity to interact and create as equals with their peers. In partnership with Until Tomorrow, VSA Arts of Massachusetts and Boston Center for the Arts, Access to Theatre has served, over the course of its ten years, over 285 youth and adults, providing 70 long term mentoring relationships, twenty original productions, and 43 performances for over 20,000 audience members.

Maureen Gallagher, PYD Deputy Director and co-creator of Access to Theatre says "Receiving this award during the 10th Anniversary year of the Access to Theatre program is a truly meaningful endorsement. Our hope is that it will be a springboard for extending the program to reach more youth and mentors to participate as well as to offer extended programming throughout the year. Access to Theatre provides unique artistic education and leadership development experiences that would greatly benefit many more youth from the community."

Coming Up Taller: www.cominguptaller.org
President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities:www.pcah.org

Read more about PYD's Access to Theatre Program