(WASHINGTON, D.C.) The Cultural Alternatives Division of the Music and Arts Center for Humanity (MACH), which delivers training in the performing, visual, design and media arts to urban youth, is being nationally recognized as one of the 17 arts and humanities programs to receive the 2005 Coming Up Taller Awards. Mrs. Laura Bush, will recognize MACH's Cultural Alternatives Division and the other recipients at an awards ceremony in Washington D.C. on January 25, 2005. MACH will be awarded $10,000 for its achievements.

"As a former public school teacher, I have a firsthand understanding of what young people can accomplish when they truly strive to realize their dreams, and I wholeheartedly embrace the arts and humanities as vehicles for helping them find their way," said Laura Bush, Honorary Chair of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.

"By receiving such a prestigious award, MACH's ability--to grow, develop, and broaden its outreach and influence to the community of greater Bridgeport-- will be greatly enhanced, "said MACH Director and CEO Dr. Donald Rainone. "Our organization is at a turning point as we seek a new location in the heart of downtown Bridgeport, CT., a city on the threshold of revitalization.

Coming Up Taller is an initiative of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH). The President's Committee partners with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to administer the program, which was founded in 1998.

The Coming Up Taller Awards recognize and support outstanding community arts and humanities programs that celebrate the creativity of Americas' young people, and provide them with new learning opportunities and opportunities 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 children. More than 250 nominations were received by the program in 2005.

Launched in 1999, Cultural Alternatives is a division of MACH's community school of the arts. It delivers life-enhancement skills through arts curriculum to underserved youth ages 2-19 of the Greater Bridgeport area. Through performing and visual arts, design, media, creative communications and art therapy, the Cultural Alternatives Division relies on quality assurances and best practices in arts education to nurture the next generation of artists. This unique approach has created a place where participants are flourishing because they learn to unlock their creative aptitudes through discipline and personal development.

Cultural Alternatives is comprised of targeted programs that incorporate the arts into the community and its public schools. It includes: MACH AileyCamp, providing dance training, creative communication and personal development to at risk middle-schoolers; Neighborhood Studios, giving high-school students apprentice-to-work training in the visual and performing arts, design and media; ArtWorks, providing arts education, professional skills and training wages to abuse victims and juvenile offenders; and Art Therapies, providing therapy, improving academic performance and lessening inappropriate behavior for severely emotionally disturbed children. Other MACH initiatives include Dance II, MACH Music School, Lighthouse After-School Music and Arts Program, Saturday Dance Academy, Music Zone-Marin, Music Zone-Waltersville, Wolf Trap/Total Literacy, ABCD, YEP (Youth Entrepreneurial Program) and Honors Ensemble.

Although MACH offers a wide range of disciplines, its nearly 2,000 annual students are productive because they participate in high quality programs. MACH forms strategic partnerships with top national arts and education institutions and employs proven models of best practices in arts education. The success of this integrated and collaborative approach is evident: an academic performance assessment showed that (100% 80%) of year-round AileyCamp participants showed improvement in 6 out of 10 Socio-Emotional goals, and 2 out of 3 Cognitive Goals. A phone survey reflected that 78% of participants' parents said they saw a marked improvement in their personal relationships with friends and family.

The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities bridges the interests of federal agencies and the private sector, supports special projects that increase participation, and helps incorporate the humanities and the arts into White House objectives.

The National Endowment for the Arts exists to foster, preserve and promote excellence in the arts, to bring art to all Americans, and to provide leadership in arts education.

The National Endowment for the humanities, an independent grantmaking agency of the U.S. Government, supports learning in history, literature, philosophy and other areas of the humanities.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is an independent Federal grantmaking agency dedicated to creating and sustaining a nation of learners. For more information please visit the following Web sites:

Music and Arts Center for Humanity: www.musicandartscenter.org
Coming Up Taller: www.cominguptaller.org
President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities: www.pcah.gov
National Endowment for the Arts: www.arts.gov
National Endowment for the Humanities: www.neh.gov
Institute of Museum and Library Services: www.imls.gov

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MACH was chosen from 250 nominations from 44 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Being selected as one of the 50 semifinalists distinguishes the organization as one of the top arts and humanities-based programs in the country serving youth.

This recognition is for MACH's Cultural Alternatives division that includes the MACH Music School, The Therapeutic After-School Program, the Music Zone, Total Literacy, the Lighthouse Music and Arts Program, and all three summer camps - MACH/Ailey Camp, Neighborhood Studios and MACH Camp.

This division is not trying to re-invent the wheel, rather the program uses proven models and develops strategic partnerships with some of the county's top arts and education institutions to create an array of initiatives aimed at the most disadvantaged young people living in the Bridgeport area. Using pre-school, in-school, after-school and summer programs, Cultural Alternatives reaches students ages 3-20 delivering training in the performing and visual arts, design and media arts. All of these programs are designed to nurture the next generation of artists and to enhance the overall development of the children who participate.

"The Coming Up Taller Awards recognize outstanding community arts and humanities programs that celebrate the creativity of America's young people and we're truly honored that they have recognized our efforts" noted Board Chairman, Harold Levine. "We're thrilled just to be a semifinalist. We'll be over the moon if we are named a finalist! I hope everyone will have their fingers crossed for us."

Should MACH be chosen as one of the 15 finalists, and win a Coming Up Taller Award, the organization will receive a plaque as well as a $10,000 award to be presented by First Lady Laura Bush at a ceremony to be held in Washington in the Fall.

Everyone will have to wait for now, since the winners will not be announced until late October. In the meantime, however, MACH will continue to provide innovative arts programming creating the opportunity for each child to fulfill their potential and realize their dreams .

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The Music and Arts Center for Humanity (MACH) is a not-for-profit community school of the arts founded in 1978 to enrich the lives of children and adults, including special needs students, the economically disadvantaged and those artistically gifted, through arts education programs and services. Programs are offered at MACH headquarters at the Bridgeport Trade and Technology Center, as well as at various Public Schools in Bridgeport. MACH offers over 20 different programs in music, dance, visual arts, theater, creative writing, design, and media arts. Over 2,500 children, youth, and adults will be served this coming year through diverse programming including MACH/AileyCamp®, MACH/Music School, MACH/Camp, Saturday Dance Academy, Artworks, Neighborhood Studios, and an additional 5000 through performances, exhibitions and recitals. For further information please contact the Music and Arts Center for Humanity at (203 366-3300) or visit our web site at www.musicandartscenter.org