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SUSAN HILDRETH: Today, we recognize the extraordinary
work of 10 outstanding museums and libraries

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from across the nation and celebrate the valuable
role these institutions, and all museums and

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libraries, play in our communities.

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The National Medal for Museum and Library
Service is the nation's highest honor for

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libraries and museums.

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The 10 institutions we recognize today show
us what is possible. They are places that

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are using their physical and digital spaces,
their collections and their dedicated staffs

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to make a real difference in community life.

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This year's winners represent the best of
our nation's libraries and museums. There

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are countless stories across the country of
Americans, young and old, learning, enjoying,

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and opening doors to new and deeply powerful
experiences at their local museum or library.

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And now it is my distinct pleasure and deep
honor to introduce Mrs. Michelle Obama, the

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First Lady of the United States.

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MRS. OBAMA: Thank you. (Applause.) Thanks
so much. Thank you, all. How is everyone?

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Good afternoon. Please, sit. Welcome to the
White House. I love saying that. (Laughter.)

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I am thrilled that all of you could be here
today as we honor these 10 outstanding libraries

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and museums.

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I want to start, of course, by thanking Susan
-- where did you go that quickly -- there

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you go -- (laughter) -- for that very kind
introduction, but, more importantly, for her

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outstanding work on behalf of our country
and our nation's museums and libraries. As

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Susan told me in the back room, these are
her peeps. (Laughter.) So she's doing a phenomenal

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job.

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And of course, I want to recognize our guests
of honor today --- this year's medal-winning

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libraries and museums. Thank you all for your
outstanding contributions to communities and

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to our country. Every day, you all are pushing
boundaries, defying expectations and redefining

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what it means to be a library and museum in
this country.

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You're not just exposing our young people
to science and the arts, you're actually putting

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instruments and paintbrushes and computers
into their hands and helping them blossom

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into musicians and artists and scientists
themselves. You're not just helping kids check

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out books, you're actually teaching them to
read those books.

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You're tutoring our kids who have fallen behind
in a grade level. You're teaching English

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as a second language. You're developing the
next generation of lifelong learners. And

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I also understand that there are some of you
who are even members of our Let's Move Museums

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and Gardens initiative -- yes, indeed. (Applause.)
And you know that I greatly appreciate that

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work, everything that you all are doing to
make it fun and creative for kids to develop

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lifelong health habits. Thank you for that
work.

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So when I think about what you all do, I think
it's best summed up by a phrase in the 1920

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annual report of one of today's honorees,
the Boston Children's Museum. The report stated

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that the goal of this museum is to "make better
citizens." And more than anything else, that's

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what all of you do -- you help create better
citizens.

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You help people across this country become
more informed and engaged in our communities.

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You teach our young people about our history,
and you inspire them to play a role in shaping

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our future. And I know this work isn't easy
-- not at all. I know that many of our libraries

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and museums are dealing with tight budgets
and juggling more and more demands with fewer

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resources.

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But instead of scaling back your missions,
you all are expanding them. You're reaching

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out to underserved populations, taking on
issues like poverty and illiteracy. You're

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partnering with schools and community organizations,
finding new ways to share your resources as

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widely as possible.

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Take the Public Library of Cincinnati and
Hamilton County, for example. They ran a summer

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lunch program, serving 6,700 meals to hungry
children. And all of you are embracing the

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magnificent diversity of the communities that
you serve -- making sure that everyone, no

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matter where they're from or what language
they speak, can enjoy all that you have to

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offer. And that is precisely what we try to
do here at the White House.

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As you know, this house, in many ways, is
a museum. And we have worked so hard to open

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up this place to as many of our young people
as possible, doing everything from hosting

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workshops on poetry to having modern dance.
Yes, the Alvin Ailey dancers danced right

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here. And then the curators realized that
some of those leaps were threatening the chandeliers.

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(Laughter.) I don't think they thought that
through, so they were wincing as the leaps

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were happening. (Laughter.)

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But we've also hosted jazz, classical and
country music workshops here for young people,

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because like all of you, we want our young
people to know about and be proud of this

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nation's rich cultural heritage. And we want
them so desperately to discover their own

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gifts, and to fulfill their own potential,
and start thinking about their own contributions

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to our great American story. And your libraries
and museums are such a crucial part of that

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vitally important work.

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And Barack and I, we are truly proud of everything
you do. And it is a real joy and an honor

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for us to host all of you here. We can't say
thank you enough. But hopefully, today is

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one small way to remind you that the work
that you do is so critical. It's important.

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It is valued. And we hope you all keep doing
what you do every single day. As I tell all

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of our teachers and folks out there doing
the hard work, please don't get tired. (Laughter.)

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We need you.

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So congratulations again on this tremendous
achievement. And now it's my pleasure to present

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the medals to today's honorees. Thank you
so much. (Applause.)

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NARRATOR: Accepting the award for the Boston
Children's Museum of Boston, Massachusetts

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are

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Carole Charnow, Executive Director and
Community Member Tayquan Pomare-Taylor

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In 2011, as a newly minted Teen Ambassador,
14-year-old Tayquan had a special purpose:

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playing with younger children and engaging
families at the Museum and in his own neighborhood.

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The teen ambassador employment program at
the Museum -- with its emphasis on transformative

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education and the power of play -- sparked
Tayquan's love of learning, helping him raise

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his GPA from a point-seven to a three-point-five.

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He is now 16 and preparing to apply to college.
Tayquan says, "It felt like the Boston Children's

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Museum was made for me. And the way kids react
to me at the museum -- asking for me by name,

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learning from me -- shows me that I have something
to give."

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Accepting the award for the Columbus Museum
of Art of Columbus, Ohio are

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Nannette Maciejunes, Executive Director and
Community Member Jeffrey Tucker

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Jeffrey was a self-proclaimed "Master of Disaster"
when he joined Columbus Museum of Art's ArtLab

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as a high school junior. He knew very little
about technology and even less about art But,

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through ArtLab, Jeffery's eyes were opened
and he found his creativity. For his final

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project, Jeffery interviewed museum visitors
and peers about their emotional connections

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to art. Today, Jeffery is a Media and Communications
major at Columbus State Community College.

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Now he mentors the museum's ArtLab students.
Jeffrey says, "the Columbus Museum of Art

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taught me to take risks. Their programs molded
me into a videographer, and I dream of someday

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receiving an Oscar."

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Accepting the award for the Delta Blues Museum
of Clarksdale, Mississippi

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Shelley Ritter, Executive Director
Community Member Travis Calvin

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Travis Calvin's mom wanted her children to
be involved in safe and positive activities

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after school. So she enrolled them in the
Delta Blues Museum's Arts and Educations Program.

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The program became much more than a safe refuge
for her family. Through classes at the museum,

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8-year-old Travis was inspired to master the
guitar and the blues. Now, he helps other

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children discover and enjoy this truly American
art form. He will graduate from Delta State

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University next month with a Bachelor of Science
in Music Industry Studies. Travis says, "I

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wouldn't be where I am today and pursuing
my current career path had I not been signed

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up for the museum's Arts and Education Program
15 years ago. If things go as I plan, I will

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feel the museum's influence every day of my
life."

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Accepting the award for the Discovery Science
Center of Santa Ana, California are

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Joe Adams, President and
Community Member Kate Upton

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A critical part of Discovery Science Center's
mission is to inspire the next generation

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of science innovators. For twenty-three-year
old Kate Upton, the museum did just that.

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Kate's visits to Discovery Science Center
began nearly two decades ago. In second grade,

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when asked what she wanted to be when she
grew up, Kate replied, "a good and faithful

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scientist." Kate is on track -- a Bachelors
of Science in Chemistry and minors in Math

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and Physics are already under her belt. Sheis
currently pursuing a Ph.D. at California Institute

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of Technology. Kate says, ""During my childhood,
the Discovery Science Center helped to cultivate

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my passion for science -- keeping it fun,
interesting and relevant to my life—and

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taught me how to share that passion with others."

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Accepting the award for the Marshalltown Public
Library of Marshalltown, Iowa are

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Sarah Rosenblum, Executive Director and
Community Member Veronica Guevara

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Marshalltown Public Library was an important
resource for first-generation Mexican-American

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Veronica Guevara. In first grade she found
reading difficult because English was not

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her first language, but she became a true
bookworm, thanks in large part to the library.

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. As Veronica got older, she worked with museum
staff members to identify internship opportunities

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and to apply for college scholarships. When
she graduates from the University of Iowa

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this December, she will be the first in her
family with a college degree. Veronica says,

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"The library helped me grow and develop while
honing my bilingualism when I was a little

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girl. It helped me discover the beauty of
endless possibilities at a young age, which

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have in turn led me to believe in the possibilities
of my goals

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and dreams."

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Accepting the award for the National Czech
and Slovak Museum and Library of Cedar Rapids,

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Iowa are

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Gail Naughton, President and CEO, and
Community Member Bob Schaffer

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For local business owner Bob Schaffer, the
Cedar Rapids flood of 2008 was devastation.

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Czech Cottage, a gift and jewelry store Bob
opened with his parents in 1975, was destroyed.

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Precious imported goods simply ruined. Once
the water receded, Bob began to assess the

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damage, and day after day, he filled FEMA
dumpsters with his family's pride and joy.

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He credits the National Czech & Slovak Museum
& Library's commitment to rebuilding in the

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original Czech Village as a driving force
in his family's decision to rebuild and reopen,

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too. He says, "If the Museum had chosen an
alternate location, I knew the Czech Village

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would at best only recover as a ghost of its
former self, and the future of our Czech import

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shop would be in question. The day the National
Czech & Slovak Museum & Library announced

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plans to rebuild in our neighborhood, was
a day of tremendous relief."

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Accepting the award for the Pierce County
Library System of Tacoma, Washington are

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Neel Parikh, Executive Director, and
Community Member Jo Cruz

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Spanaway resident Jo Cruz took her young children
on frequent trips to the library. Picture

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book browsing and story time have evolved
into sophisticated research, as her son prepares

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to graduate high school this spring. Jo's
parenting experience convinced her that a

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foundation in literacy is essential to prepare
children for success. Now, as a child care

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professional, Jo is using the library to support
early literacy activities for the children

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in her care. The library is a major resource
for Jo -- providing idea kits, materials,

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and even hosting block parties and group meetings
for child care professionals. Jo says, "Families,

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child care professionals, and our Pierce County
Library System are team players in this community.

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It is reassuring to know that the success
of our children is supported by passionate

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people concerned about the future of our little
ones."

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Accepting the award for the Public Library
of Cincinnati and Hamilton County of Cincinnati,

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Ohio are

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Kimber Fender, The Eva Jane Romaine Coombe
Director, and

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Community Member Amina Tuki

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From a small village in Ethiopia without running
water or electricity, Amina came to Cincinnati

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as a refugee with her husband in the early
1990s. Unable to read her native language

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of Amharic, learning English was a monumental
challenge. Amina first stepped into the library

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to meet a tutor from the YWCA to work on her
English. Since that time, she's taken many

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more steps to further her language and communication
skills. To help her daughter, Hannah, with

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her homework, Amina used the library's Homework
Central. And when the Adult Learning Center

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opened in 2011, Amina herself participated
in classes to work on her English skills.

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Amina says, "One day, I picked up a small
book given by the library called 'Coming to

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America.' It took me all day, but I made my
way through the pages filled with words describing

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the challenges -- and joys -- of coming to
a new country. I took it home and told my

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husband and two daughters I would read them
a story. And I did. My oldest daughter cried

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when I finished."

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Cucamonga, California are

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Robert Karatsu, Executive Director
Community Members --Christine, Tammy, and

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their children Grant, Kennedy, and Madison
DeVries

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Christine is mom -- and, because of a decision
to homeschool, a teacher extraordinaire -- to

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the family's nine-year-old triplets. The library
has been an integral part of the family's

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life since the triplets were tiny one year
olds. The library's children's programs mark

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development and growth, from toddler storytimes,
to early elementary afterschool activities,

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and now the pre-teen Discovery Club. Christine
says, "Through the library, we have found

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a social network of other homeschoolers -- we
coordinate playdates with friends we've made

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at the library. I can honestly say that the
triplets love to read, the triplets love to

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learn, the triplets love to explore new worlds,
and the triplets love the Rancho Cucamonga

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Public Library!"

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Accepting the award for the Waukegan (Wah-key-gan)
Public Library of Waukegan, Illinois are

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Richard Lee, Executive Director, and
Community Member Diana Alvey

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Diana family came to the United States from
Mexico when she was three years old. No one

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in her family spoke English, but shortly after
arriving, Diana's mother began English classes

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as a way to help them adjust to their new
home. As an adult, Diana volunteers her time

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at Waukegan Public Library as an ESL tutor
to help others on their language journey.

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Diana also volunteers as a Promotora,, or
ambassador telling the Latino community about

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library free resources and programs. She has
helped ESL students to pursue job promotions,

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attend parent teacher conferences at school,
and describe symptoms to their doctors. Diana

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says, "A young mother was at home when she
heard her children yelling 'FIRE.' Because

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of her participation in the library's ESL
program, she knew what that English word meant

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-- and how to call 911 for help. Our programs
are making a world of difference."

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Well, that concludes our awards. I hope we
all leave here inspired and rededicated, because

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as we can see from the stories that we've
heard that your work is really powerful, and

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it is impactful, and it can change lives.
You do it quietly. You do it without much

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fanfare or you don't require a lot of attention.

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So hopefully, today gives you that little
bit of light you need to just keep going,

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because this country needs you. We need the
work that you do. And it's just our hope that

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every community in this country can have the
resources that you are providing to your communities.

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That should be our goal.

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And with that, I think now it's time to have
a little fun, as my husband always says. We've

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got a little reception over there. We have
some nice food here at the White House. (Laughter.)

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They know how to throw a nice party. So I
encourage you to enjoy, partake, walk around,

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eat -- have some cookies. (Laughter.) We'll
put Let's Move on hold for just a couple of

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cookies. (Laughter and applause.)

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So enjoy your time. You have earned it. We
are grateful. Congratulations again. Thank

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you so much.