LACER Afterschool Programs | Coming Up Taller Award

At a White House ceremony, November 5, 2003, Laura Bush presented this prestigious $10,000 award to Executive Director Sharon Stricker and LACER youth Alejandro Rebagliati-Quintana to recognize LACER’s “outstanding work with underserved youth.”

Sharon Stricker, Executive Director, LACER Afterschool Programs and student Alejandro Rebagliati-Quintana receive the 'Coming Up Taller Award' from Laura Bush and Dr. Robert Martin, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. [Photo by Steven E. Purcell]

Sharon Stricker, Executive Director, LACER Afterschool Programs and student Alejandro Rebagliati-Quintana [Photo by William Seymour]

LACER (Literacy, Arts, Culture, Education and Recreation) ARTSTARS Honored with Prestigious “Coming Up Taller” Award from the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and Three Federal Agencies

LACER Afterschool Programs today announced that it is a recipient of the prestigious “Coming Up Taller” Award for its work with local, underserved youth from the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, and Institute of Museum and Library Services. It is one of 18 organizations across the U.S. and in Mexico being honored. The award of $10,000 will be presented at a ceremony in Washington, DC on November 5, 2003.

“The most important outcome from the LACER ARTSTARS program is the correlation between classroom learning, real life experiences, and artistic expression that increases students’ interest and achievement in reading, writing, math, and science,” said Executive Director of LACER Afterschool Programs, Sharon Stricker.

The Coming Up Taller Awards recognize and support outstanding community arts and humanities programs 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. Since the program’s inception in 1998, 71 organizations have been honored from more than 2000 nominations nationwide.

In 1995, LACER Afterschool Programs developed ARTSTARS, a five-day-a-week after school arts and literacy education program offered free to middle school youth. ARTSTARS provides instruction in dance, music, theater, and visual arts in coordination with the core school subjects of English, math, science, and social studies. In addition, LACER provides homework assistance, a comprehensive literacy and writing program, and a reading program, called Junior Greats, wherein middle school students read daily and develop reading comprehension, vocabulary, and critical thinking skills. Independent evaluations confirmed that ARTSTARS dramatically impacts student learning and improves students’ attitudes toward themselves and education. LACER is committed to providing a safe environment for over 2,000 students who join the after school programs every year. For more information, please visit www.lacerstars.org.

The Coming Up Taller Awards are made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts, the following individual, corporate and foundation contributors: Beth Singer Design; Cherner Automotive, Arlene and Harvey Cherner; Cranium, Inc.; GMAC Financial Services; Green Family Foundation; H.E. Butt Grocery Company; The Harman Family Foundation, Jane and Sidney Harman; MetLife Foundation; Miller and Long Companies; John and Lucia Mudd; Caren H. Prothro; The Ruth C. and Charles S. Sharp Foundation, Inc.; Surdna Foundation, Inc.; and the Vin and Caren Prothro Foundation. The Mexican awards are sponsored by CULTURAL CONTACT/The US-Mexico Foundation for Culture, based in Mexico City. The Coming Up Taller Program is coordinated in collaboration with the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies.