Carol Channing Honored With PTA Lifetime Achievement Award

 Carol Channing, who was recently honored by the CA State Legislature with a presentation by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in Sacramento was also presented with the PTA's highest honor for Advocacy for Arts in Education with the National PTA Life Achievement Award, on June 23rd. The honor highlights the work that Channing and and her husband, Harry Kullijian, have made through the Dr. Carol Channing & Harry Kullijian Foundation for the Arts (http://drchanningfoundation.org/).

Jan Harp Domene, national PTA president, paid homage to Carol Channing as an outstanding civic leader and advocate for children at the PTA National Convention in San Diego, CA on Sunday.  Channing was honored for her exceptional commitment and devotion to the education of our youth in the arts. Domene presented Channing with a National PTA Life Achievement Award, the highest honor PTA can bestow upon an individual in front of a crowd of thousands.

Carol Channing is an acclaimed stage, film, and television actress, as well as a best-selling author, recording artist, education advocate, and philanthropist. While her turn as Lorelei Lee in Broadway's Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was the first role to bring her fame, Channing is best known for her Tony Award-winning portrayal of Dolly Levi in Jerry Herman's Hello, Dolly! A 1995 Lifetime Achievement Tony Award winner, Channing has also appeared on stage in So Proudly We Hail, Let's Face It, Lend an Ear, Show Girl, Pygmalion, The Millionairess, The Vamp, and other Broadway productions. She remains committed to acting on stage, even during her current focus on improving the California public school system. Through the Dr. Carol Channing & Harry Kullijian Foundation for the Arts, Channing has most recently been using scholarships, teaching, lectures, and performances to engage the public about the importance of arts in education.

"PTA promotes the collaboration of families, schools, and communities throughout the country, and encourages everyone who cares about kids to speak up with a powerful voice on their behalf," stated PTA National President Jan Harp Domene. "Carol Channing possesses a mighty voice, and we cannot thank her enough for the work she has done and undoubtedly will continue to do on behalf of our nation's children. She is a profound example of an individual who daily lives out her commitment to today's youth."

The National PTA Life Achievement Award is the highest honor a PTA can bestow.  The award was established in 1899, just two years after PTA's founding, to pay tribute to those who had demonstrated exemplary service in support of children. PTA's founders Phoebe Apperson Hearst and Alice McLellan Birney, and the founder of Georgia's Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers, Selena Sloan Butler, were women of imagination and courage. They understood the power of individual action, worked beyond the accepted barriers of their day, and took action to literally change the world.  Today, PTA is the largest volunteer child advocacy organization in the nation. Our members represent the ethnic diversity of our nation, and they come from the ranks of traditional families, single-parent households, blended families, grandparents, and other caring adults. Together, we continue to serve as the conscience of the country for children and youth.

The honor of a Life Achievement Award, formerly know as an Honorary National Life Membership, is PTA's way of recognizing a person whose service to children has been exemplary.  The honoree can be a PTA member, an educator, a member of the community, or anyone else who has been an advocate for children in the areas of education, arts, health and welfare, and legislation.  Past honorees include many first ladies of the United States, including Mamie Eisenhower, Rosalynn Carter, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush and Hilary Rodham Clinton, celebrities including Arnold Schwartzenegger and Bill Cosby, and activists, including the Mendez family and Narvie Harris, president of the NCCPT (National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers).

About PTA
The PTA national organization comprises more than 5 million parents and other concerned adults devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of parent involvement in schools. PTA flourishes in more than 25,000 school communities nationwide by harnessing the energy and talents of millions of volunteers to be a voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a champion for the education and well-being of every child. PTA is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Membership in PTA is open to anyone who is concerned about the education, health, and welfare of children and youth. Visit www.pta.org for more information.

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