katalog carrefour

mrs. obama: i want to thank the general forthat kind introduction, and to thank her for her lifetime of service to this nation inthe united states air force and as the leader of the women in military service for americamemorial. i just did a tour with the general, and this is an amazing asset to this nation.it's something that many of us don't even know exists, and i could have spent hoursthere. i strongly encourage anyone in this countrywho hasn't taken the time to see this memorial. it goes through the whole progression of womeninto the military, with contributions from family members from around this country, pictures,uniforms. i'm going to spend more time here and bring my girls, because it is somethingthat i want them to see. so i'm grateful to

have the opportunity to see this, and willbe working hard to make sure that this memorial continues to be a part of this nation's heritage.(applause.) i also want to thank a few people, as well.i want to thank general dunwoody, the nation's first female four-star general, which deservesits own round of applause -- (applause); vice admiral vivien cray of the united states coastguard -- and i know there a few coast guards out there; i heard you -- (applause); andto congresswomen mary fallin, as well as laura richardson and my hometown congresspersonjan schakowsky. (applause.) i also have to recognize someone else from home, our goodfriend, dear dear friend, tammy duckworth. (applause.) it's good to see you. (applause.)i am honored to be here with you all. as the

general said, of course this is -- this monthis women's history month, and it provides an opportunity for americans to discover andreflect on the accomplishments of women throughout our nation's history.but it provides an opportunity to celebrate the many contributions women make today innational life as leaders in business, government, the community, the military, and of coursein everyday life, which is how we women live, mostly as mothers, daughters, wives, colleaguesand friends. and i couldn't think of a better way to begin women's history month than bycoming here to the women's memorial at arlington national cemetery to honor our nation's servicewomen.as i speak, servicewomen and men are at their posts all across our nation and around theworld. they're standing watch and providing

the security that allows us to live in peaceand to continue on with our daily lives. that includes two whom i have just met -– lieutenantgrace thompson and corporal crystal moultrie of the united states marines. we keep them,the wounded who are recovering, and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, so that wemay live in safety and freedom, we keep them in our thoughts and our prayers.throughout our nation's history, women have played an important role in the military aswell as in organizations supporting the military during times of conflict. our foremothersand our sisters today have joined our forefathers and our brothers today in securing our libertyand protecting our country. women's military service goes back to america'searly beginnings, and servicewomen have long

navigated the twists and turns of the women'srights struggle to secure a more equal and fuller place in the united states military.this history was interesting to me. in 1782 deborah sampson disguised herself and enlistedin the fourth massachusetts regiment. she was wounded at the battle of tarrytown innew york. later, she appealed for back pay as a former continental army soldier and wassupported by paul revere. the measure was passed by the massachusetts legislature andapproved by the governor, john hancock. then there was dr. mary edwards walker, amilitary doctor, who became the nation's first female medal of honor recipient for her serviceduring the civil war. and then we moved to the 20th century, wherewomen became full-fledged members of the united

states military with the creation of the armyand navy nurse corps in 1901 and 1908. and we are joined here today by two amazingwomen -- they gave me their ages, but there's no reason to know, because they look about30, 40, to me -- (laughter) -- mary ragland and alice dixon, who served in the "six-tripleeight," the only unit of african american women in the women's army corps to serve overseasduring world war ii. please give them a round of applause. i know mary is here. (applause.)spring chickens. (laughter.) and if you live right, you may be sitting right there in afew decades. (laughter.) there's also esther corcoran, who is alsowith us, enlisted as a private in the women's army auxiliary corps and was later enteredinto officer candidate school. she was eventually

promoted to lieutenant colonel, one of thefirst 10 women to achieve this rank. (applause.) currently serving her country is lieutenantcommander cindy campbell. she began her navy career as an e1, served at sea and on thehomeland. she put herself through college and graduate school at night and became anofficer. she now works in the white house military office, right outside my office inthe east wing. cindy serves as a mentor to servicewomen and men in earlier stages oftheir careers, and i and my staff benefit from her expertise and dedication every day.cindy, where are you? she's way in the back. (applause.)these women and thousands of others set a standard for excellence that enables womenwho serve today to take on even greater responsibilities.

a recent women's memorial women's historymonth poster is called "voices of valor" and spotlights five decorated servicewomen fromeach of the armed forces who've served or are serving in the current war.one is silver star recipient sergeant lee ann hester. she's the first woman to havebeen decorated for direct actions against an enemy force.there's also lieutenant lisa starr [sic], a united states navy nurse, who volunteeredfor a nighttime flight in iraq during a sandstorm that had grounded all medical helicoptersto save the life of a wounded marine. and there's fighter pilot captain kim campbell,who displayed extraordinary skill at the controls of her aircraft to support and protect thelives of her fellow soldiers fighting on the

ground in iraq.there's second class marine science technician sarah vega, who served in both iraq and afghanistanand is an example of the bravery that men and women of the united states coast guardare displaying in war zones today. and then marine corporal ramona valdez who,in addition to her other duties, was teamed up with 16 other servicewomen to form an all-femalesearch force in iraq as a proactive effort to calm iraqi concerns that male soldiersmight search muslim women. her convoy was attacked and she was killed four days beforeher 21st birthday. marine major general douglas o'dell jr. weptas he awarded purple hearts to the survivors from corporal valdez's force. he said he wasmoved, i quote, "not by special sympathy for

the women" but because of the display of equalityborn of that horrible day in fallujah. the general went on to explain that while militaryleaders believed women marines could perform as bravely as men under deadly attack, therehad never been a trial like the one in fallujah to prove it.members of the military and their families have a special courage and strength. as thepresident said last week during his address at camp lejeune, service doesn't end withthe person wearing the uniform. you all know that.and i have been honored and deeply moved to meet many military families over the pastcouple of years. they are mothers and fathers who have lost their beloved children to war.they are husbands and wives keeping the family

on track while their wives and husbands aredeployed, on duty. they are grandparents, aunts and uncles, sisters and brothers whoare taking care of children while single moms or dads in uniform are away.and there are moms and dads who both serve in uniform -- like helicopter pilots colonelslaura and jim richardson who in 2003 became the first couple to have led their own battalionsduring a time of combat. and during that time, they were able to leave their 14-year-olddaughter in the care of family when they were deployed.see, military families have done their duty, and we as a grateful nation must do ours.we must do everything in our power to honor them by supporting them; not just by wordbut by deed.

and it is my great hope that today's and futuregenerations will honor women and men in uniform by first of all never taking the blessingsof freedom for granted and by doing their part to create a more perfect union. i knowthat we will continue to do our parts over the coming years.again, i want to thank you all for your service, for your courage, for your dedication, foryour commitment. and may god bless you all, and god bless america. thank you so much.(applause.) mrs. obama: thank you, everyone. (applause.)good afternoon and welcome to the white house! (laughter.) tonight's house is a little warmin here. (laughter.) but it is a pleasure to be here with you today to celebrate the10th anniversary of the national design awards

and to honor some of the country's most compellinginnovators. and i got to meet them all. they are terrific, and we are just thrilled tohave you with us today. congratulations to all of you -- our honoreesand those of you just working hard getting the job done.how are you, sir? it's good to see you. (laughter.) you are scientists and artists. your workis both practical and poetic, educational and inspirational. you represent diverse fieldsof disciplines but you share the common thread of superior design.what i love about design is the artistic and scientific complexity that also becomes useful:a laptop, a bridge, an outfit -- (laughter) -- a garden, all drawn from a thousand wellsof inspiration and yet grounded in the basic

principles of math or science.great designers also pursue a mission. great designers design with mankind in mind. buildingon the innovations of the past, you help to shape a better future. like your lifetimeachievement honoree bill moggridge, what would we do without our laptops! (laughter.) mykids would die. (laughter.) they'd be -- they wouldn't make it through the summer. i don'tknow whether to thank you, bill, for that. (laughter.)but that future and our ability to solve the great challenges of our time will depend onhow we educate and engage the current generation. that's why the president has made such a strongcommitment to ensuring access to high-quality education for all children, particularly inmath and science.

and today the president and secretary duncanare announcing the "race to the top," which is a competitive grant to spur education reformacross the country and encourage educators and leaders to embrace innovative approachesto teaching and to learning. as part of the recovery act, congress hasallotted more than $4 billion for this competition –- funding that'll be used for competitivegrants to states, school districts, and non-profit partners that are most successful at raisingstandards, improving student learning, and turning around struggling schools. that isvery exciting. but when it comes to innovation, you all knowfull well that an educational foundation is only part of the equation, right; that inorder for creativity to flourish and imagination

to take hold we also need to expose our childrento the arts from a very young age. even albert einstein knew better, right? heknew that there is only so much that a good education could do. these were his words.he said, "i am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination." "imagination,"he said, "is more important than knowledge. knowledge is limited. imagination encirclesthe world." that's from einstein, so i think he knew what he was talking about. (laughter.)we need to ensure that our children have both –- knowledge and imagination. i know i wantthat for my girls. they deserve to have access to a good education and access to ideas andimages that will spark their creativity. and as first lady, i have spent a lot of timetrying to break down barriers that too often

exist between major cultural establishmentsand the people in their immediate communities. so we've been sending a lot of role modelsout there in the far reaches of this city and then inviting kids to come back here tothe white house. that's been a big part of the messages of every single event that we'vedone here at the white house. these kids who are living just inches away from power andprestige and fortune and fame, we want those kids to know that they belong here, too. wewant them to know that they belong here in the white house and in the museums, and inlibraries, and laboratories all over this country.and i want to thank you all today for helping carry that mission out by going out todayinto the community and making sure that kids

know that they belong on the cutting edgeof design just the same; that they belong in the world of discovery and science, remindingthem that they belong in the presence of great art and beauty; that it is theirs just asmuch as anyone's in this nation. and earlier today you shared your visions,your ideas, your experiences and expertise by leading workshops at smithsonian locationsacross washington d.c. and i am grateful to all of you for taking the time to make thathappen. from type fonts to technology, from silks and satins to sustainability –- youbrought science to life at these seminars. and i've heard glowing reviews about them,and i hope you found them fun, as well. and i want to thank you for inspiring thenext generation of artists and scientists,

architects and engineers, innovators and educatorsand for your contributions to the advancement of design. thank you so very, very much.and as i mentioned, the crossroads of science and art, innovation and inspiration are whati love about design. so i'm honored to introduce a man who represents the combination of both.wayne clough, the man who leads one of our nation's premier cultural institutions assecretary to the smithsonian, is a trained civil engineer. his years at georgia techplanted him firmly on the science and technology end of the spectrum. but here he is, ablyleading, right -- he's doing a good job -- (laughter and applause) -- he is ably leading the organizationfamous for housing the treasures of both science and art, the wonders of nature and mankind,and the marvels of the heavens and the earth.

he is the perfect example of the symbioticcharacter of science and art. and i am so honored to introduce him to you today, ourwonderful guest, our host, someone who make my life easier as we explore the smithsonianswith my kids, wayne clough. thank you all. (applause.) mrs. obama: well, thank you. yes, it is alittle warm. (laughter.) but it was cool in there -- there's some cool air coming out.but i want to thank you so much for having me here today. it's a pleasure to be withall of you to cut the ribbon and declare caroline family practice community health center officiallyopen for business. that's a good thing. (applause.) so you've been open for a little bit, butthis is the official opening.

i want to thank rod for that wonderful introductionand for everything that he's done and the central virginia health services are doingto keep families and communities healthy across this nation.i want to do a few more thank you's. i want to thank and acknowledge bettina reed, whoyou just saw, the site director here at caroline family practice, for her tireless hard workin getting this center up and running in such a short period of time. it's a miraculousendeavor even when you do have the money. so this is a wonderful thing.i also want to recognize mary wakefield, who i saw earlier. i think she's in the air-conditionedroom, but don't be mad. (laughter.) she's the administrator of the health resourcesand services administration, and some of her

colleagues are here with us today, and i wantto recognize them for their work to promote centers like this all throughout the country.and we also have the first lady of virginia here, a good friend of mine, and her lovelydaughter, anne and annella, who are joining us here. we're thrilled that they could come.i've gotten to know this lady over the course of the last couple of years, and i just loveher to death, and i am grateful for everything that she and her husband and her family aredoing to support places like this. and it means so much that you're here, because iknow this is your thing just as much as anyone's. i also want to thank the vice chair of thecaroline county board of supervisors, max rozell; the mayor of bowling green who's here,david storke; town manager, steve manster,

for all their dedication and leadership -- becausenone of this stuff happens without the right leadership. so, thank you.and finally, i have to thank all the health care providers who are here and all the healthcare providers who are listening -– the doctors and the nurses and all the otherswho've chosen to work in underserved communities like this one. when you know that many ofthese folks could have gone to fancy practices and made a lot more money, it's just importantto know that there are people who are making commitments to places like bowling green,and they're making these communities a primary focus of their practice. and we have to commendthose folks and encourage others to join them in what is a fulfilling and important endeavor.so we have to acknowledge all of them for

their hard work. (applause.)and that's sort of one of the things i'd like to talk a little bit about -- oh, no, onemore person -- ms. maggie james, who -- i don't know if you know, but i know she isthe oldest living person in caroline county. and she came here to see me. (applause.) sheis 109 years young, and looking great in that fuchsia. (laughter.) it's pink, but it's fabulous.(laughter.) and i'm grateful, ms. james, that you came to see me.but i wanted to talk a bit about why the work that everyone is doing here is so critical,not just in this community, but all across the nation –- and not just for the healthof our families, but for the future of our entire health care system.so i know many of you have been following

the debate that's going on out there in washingtonwhere i live now. and i know that with all the numbers, and the ads, and the back-and-forthon tv news shows, it gets easy to lose sight about what it's all about -- all that discussion.but as i've traveled the country over the past couple years, campaigning for my husband,and even working in health administration, no matter where i've gone, no matter who i'vebeen talking to, they always want to talk about health care. i don't care if you'relucky enough to have a good health care system or not, you either know someone who has struggledunder the current system, and it has been the number-one issue on the minds of the majorityof americans that i've talked to. and i think that there's one fact –- onestatistic –- that should remind us all exactly

what's at stake here, and that is that wespend more money on health care than any other nation on earth. we do, already today. yetwe are nowhere near the healthiest. and that says something. we're nowhere near the healthiest.in fact, people in some of the countries that spend less than we do are actually livinglonger than we do here in this nation. and one of the main -- that's other than ms. james,of course. (laughter.) and one of the main reasons for this is thereason why we're all here today –- and it's because that right now, today here in america,60 million people in this country don't have adequate access to primary care. they don'thave any access at all. many of them are uninsured and can't afford any kind of health care atall. that's a good chunk of them. many actually

have insurance, but live in underserved areas,like this one –- inner cities or small rural towns where there aren't any primary careproviders to speak of. they have to drive hours.so what happens to folks in america in this situation is that they don't get check-ups.they don't get regular, routine screenings that keep us healthy. when they get sick,their only option is to wait until it gets so bad that they have to visit the emergencyroom. and then they wind up lurching from illness to illness, and crisis to crisis,getting emergency care instead of health care. and we wind up spending billions of dollarseach year to treat diseases that –- for far less money –- we could prevent in thefirst place.

we will spend thousands of dollars for anemergency room visit and hospital stay for a child, for example, having an acute asthmaattack that could have been prevented by a $100 doctor's visit and a $50 inhaler. we'llspend tens of thousands to treat complications from diabetes that could have been preventedby a couple hundred dollars worth of counseling on nutrition and blood sugar monitoring. andtoday, chronic -– and preventable -- illnesses like diabetes and obesity, heart disease andhigh blood pressure consume 85 percent of all health care spending in this country.that's what we're spending our money on here. and if you think that's bad, just wait a fewyears. because right now, if we think about our children, nearly a third of them in thiscountry are overweight or obese, and a third

will suffer from diabetes at some point intheir lifetimes. in the african american and hispanic communities, that number goes upto half -- half of all those kids will be in that situation. it's gotten so bad thatthis week, experts from across the country are meeting in washington for what they'recalling a "weight of the nation" conference sponsored by the cdc to discuss how we canaddress the rising threat of obesity, particularly in our children.so we know that something is not quite right with the current system. we sort of know that.our experiences tell us that. we know we need to start focusing on primary care and preventativecare –- on promoting wellness, and not just treating sickness.that's the mission of this community center

and health centers like it across the countrythat serve 17 million of our fellow citizens -– not just to make diagnoses and hand outprescriptions, but to understand why people are getting sick in the first place, and howthey can get healthy and stay healthy in the future.see, when someone goes to the emergency room with a fever or a sore throat, chances arethey'll get a quick exam, they'll get some antibiotics, and they’ll get a pretty heftybill. but when they come to a place like this, the providers here may very well ask themwhen they had their last blood pressure checked. or they'll delve a little deeper -- they mightask whether they're getting regular mammograms, and how often they exercise, and if they'vegotten that mole on their arm checked out.

they just dig a little bit deeper in placeslike this. it's an approach to care that's about curing illness and preventing it atthe same time. and it's an approach that's about making surethat people can actually take advantage of the care that's provided. there's a whole'nother level to care, making sure that people actually can access what's available. in communityhealth centers across the country, they don't just give people appointments; they help folksfind transportation to actually get to those appointments.right here, folks don't just write prescriptions; they make sure that people can actually fillthem out, that they can connect with programs to ensure that they do. and folks here don'tjust tell someone that they need a specialist,

but they actually get on the phone and findthat specialist, even if it means making dozens of calls until they find someone that thepatient can afford. in places like this, care is provided in languagesthat patients can understand, in a way that's respectful of their various cultures, andthat takes into account the challenges they face in their everyday life.ultimately, practice here isn't just about diagnosing problems –- it's about caringfor people. it's about educating people so that they can better educate themselves. andit's about giving people the security of knowing that health care will be there for them andtheir families whenever they need it. and when you get right down to it, that'swhat the debate in washington is all about.

and if you really think about it, that's whymy husband and so many folks in congress are fighting so hard for reform that lowers people'scosts and ensures that all families have good coverage that they can actually afford.what they're doing is critical not just for the work this center is doing here in bowlinggreen, but for all people across this country. it's critical to all of us. and that's oneof the key points that i want to make: that health insurance reform isn't just about thenearly 46 million americans who don't have insurance; it's also about all those folkswho do. if you think about it for a minute, rightnow, for example, you might have a good plan that you really like and think our healthsystem is great just the way it is. show of

hands? (laughter.)but the question becomes, even if you're in that situation, what happens if you lose yourjob, and then your coverage goes away, and then you can't find a new job right away?those are some of the stories i've heard. or if you want to change jobs, but your newemployer doesn't offer any insurance at all because more and more employers are findingit difficult to keep up with the cost of health care? or what if you decide you want to changeinsurance plans, but your new insurer decides that you have a preexisting condition, oryour age or your gender or your health status means that they need to charge you a fortunefor that insurance? what if you get sick, and they decide you're too expensive to insure?that happens. and then they drop your coverage

completely. see, these are the things thathappen to hardworking, responsible people who've done exactly what they thought theyshould do. it's happening every single day across this country.and of course, there are plenty of folks who won't experience any of these misfortunes.there really are. they're blessed. and despite rising costs and declining coverage, someof them are convinced that things are just fine right now. but even if that were true,even if the status quo were acceptable to us, then the question becomes, what about10 years from now? if we don't pass reform, within a decade we'llactually be spending one out of every five dollars we earn on health insurance. in 30years, when my kids are ready to come into

the world, it will be one in every three dollarsspent on health care. so think about that -- one in every three dollars by the timeour kids get to be where we are. and without reform, what we spend on medicaid and medicare-- government programs -- will eventually be more than what our government spends onanything else -- anything else -- that we spend today. right now, premiums are rising three timesfaster than wages -- right now, today. and if we don't pass reform, they're going tokeep on rising in this way. so think about how much we'll be paying 10 years from nowwithout reform. that's what we have to project. folks who have insurance they like now couldfind themselves overwhelmed with sky-high

premiums and much higher out-of-pocket costs.think about all the businesses that will have to drop their coverage or lay people off,if we don't pass reform, because they can't afford the cost. think about the millionsof people who will lose their coverage, and many whom will wind up using the emergencyroom as their primary care provider, which will mean higher costs for all of us.and then let's go back to the statistics on the childhood obesity and diabetes for a minute.if a third of our kids are overweight or obese now, what's that going to mean 10 years fromnow? how much will we be spending on obesity-related conditions like heart disease and cancer andhigh blood pressure in 10, 20, 30 years? how much money will our economy lose in misseddays of work and decreased productivity? and

how much will all of this diminish our qualityof life here in this nation? and what does it mean that for the first timein the history of our nation, medical experts today warn that this generation -- my children,our grandchildren -- may be on track to have a shorter lifespan than their parents?you know, this isn't who we are as americans. if there's one thing that defines what itmeans to be an american, is that we always do better for our kids. we always do betterfor our kids. we sacrifice so that we can give them opportunities and advantages thatwe never had. that's what i was taught. that is our obligation to the next generation.that's why my husband and i think about -- that's what we think about at night when we tuckour kids in. we don't think about the life

they have today, we think about the life we'regoing to provide for them when they're older. and that's why he ran for president in thefirst place. it's not about us, it's not about now; he's running because of the world hewants to leave them. that's why he's fighting so hard to fix our health care system. notjust to make it more affordable today; not just to ensure that it covers more people;but to make sure that it provides better, higher-quality care that makes us all healthier.all of us. that's why his plan makes historic investmentsin prevention and wellness –- investments to help people quit smoking, and to lose weight,and get immunizations and screenings. that's why he included $2 billion in the americanrecovery and reinvestment act to upgrade and

expand community health centers, includingthe $1.3 million to fund the one that we're here to open today. this money is going toallow for the expansion of desperately-needed primary care services to more than 2.8 millionmore people, and it's going to create jobs in places that desperately need them, as well.and that's why he's investing $300 million in the recovery act for the national healthservice corps -- something we talked about in our earlier meeting. it's an outstandingprogram that helps doctors, dentists, nurses and other health care providers repay theirstudent loans in exchange for practicing in places like this. it’s a great idea. andi want to take a moment to recognize all the current and former corps members who are herewith us today, who shared their stories –- because

we're so proud of you and so grateful foryour contributions to these communities all over the nation -- because you could be doingsomething else. the new investments in this program will morethan double its capacity. right now there are 38* corps members serving four millionamericans; with the new money there will be 8,000 providers serving 8.5 million americansby the end of next year if we get this passed. and many of them will be working in communityhealth centers just like this one, doing the kind of work that means so much to so manyamericans. and that's what dr. regina benjamin –- whois my husband's nominee for our next surgeon general –- this is what she did after graduatingfrom medical school. she joined the corps,

and was sent down to alabama. and what doesshe do? she stayed there, eventually running the clinic herself. and those were storiesthat we heard here today. and what she said she was doing was so meaningful that, as sheput it, she said, "i don't feel like i'm giving to the community. i think they're giving tome." and i heard those same sentiments echoed by the national health corps members who arehere. in the end, that's what the work in this communitycenter is all about. it's about the human connections that people make with the peopleand the communities that they serve. it's about the steps you take above and beyondwhat's required, because you really care about your patients. it's about the peace of mindthat you give to people with nowhere else

to turn. and that is the story of communityhealth centers in america. it's the story of a man named ed who was diagnosedwith acute myeloid leukemia at a community health center in oklahoma. the center notonly got him to the oncology services he needed, they came to his house to draw blood whenhis immune system was too weak for him to go outside. that's the kind of work you do. it's the story of a man named randy, all theway in indiana, who went to a community health center because of an allergic reaction tohis blood pressure medication. the doctor there noticed the lump on his neck and didsome tests, and diagnosed him with cancer. randy had no insurance and no way to pay fortreatment, but that didn't stop the clinic's

medical director and ceo. they spent hoursmaking calls until they found a surgeon who would treat him at a reduced fee. and today,randy is cancer free. and then there's the story of a nine-year-oldboy named michael who was brought to a community health center in kansas with a high feverand an abscessed tooth -- something that you will see here on a regular basis. after havingbeen in severe pain for weeks, he finally got the treatment that he needed. and thenwhen the staff of the center later came to his school to screen the other kids, theysaid randy took their hands and walked into his classroom, and announced to his classmates,"these are my friends and they will help you." these are the stories you'll soon be tellinghere at this center. wonderful stories. i've

heard some of them already. and that's whyso many folks in washington are putting in these long hours to pass health insurancereform -- because all our families deserve this kind of care, and all our kids deservethe chance to have a healthy future. and i think it's fitting that the town ofbowling green used to be called "new hope village" -- that's what i was told -- becausethat's exactly what this center will be giving to so many folks in this community. and welook forward to supporting you in this work in the months and years ahead.thank you so much for your work, and god bless you all. now let's get this opened. (applause.)thank you. mrs. obama: well, hello!

children: hello! mrs. obama: it's good to see everybody. perfectweather, right? children: yes! mrs. obama: thank you so much. i am thrilledto have you all here today at the white house. and i also want to thank a few people beforewe start, not just the young people here who also -- some of you brought your parents,so let's see the parents. give the parents a round of applause. (applause.) but in addition to all of you, we've got afew pretty special guests. we've got some talented chefs and nutritionists here to teachus how to make healthy breakfasts, lunches

and snacks. so i want to first want to introduce korengrieveson, who i just got to meet. koren, where are you? there she is, over there. (applause.)she's from my hometown, chicago. (applause.) yay for chicago. and then we have todd gray. todd, where areyou? raise your hand. todd is from my new hometown right here in washington, d.c. (applause.) and then we've got sam kass who a lot of youprobably met -- (applause) -- but sam is in charge of the white house garden, so he overseesall of that along with all of our wonderful white house chefs. everybody from the whitehouse team, raise your hands, all of our white

house crew. (applause.) and we also have vahista ussery and the restof the staff from the school nutrition association who are on the frontlines every day in ourschools. (applause.) so vahista, where are you and all of the nutrition experts? (applause.) and elie krieger, one of the nutritionistsfrom the food network, she's way in the back with her family. thank you, elie. (applause.) and i want to thank all the folks from theymca and playworks. they helped us set up all the fun things that we're going to haveto do after we get through talking. so let's give them a round of applause. (applause.)

(inaudible) -- u.s. department of agriculturefor joining us today and for all of his hard work and leadership on making our food andour schools healthier. he's been doing a phenomenal job. and it seems like just yesterday thatsecretary vilsack and i were out here to begin digging for the garden. and it seems likejust yesterday. and one of our goals was to focus on the importanceof educating our kids about healthy eating. so it wasn't just about planting a garden.it was also to begin to talk about nutrition and to highlight the little ways that eachof us can add more healthy fruits and vegetables to our diet, something that i think aboutall the time as a mother. we felt that this was especially importantright now when so many children in this nation

are facing health problems that are entirelypreventable. so we've got our kids who are struggling with things that we have the powerto control. right now one in three children in this countryare overweight or obese. and as i've said many times before, if we think we're dealingwith a serious health problem now, you know, then we project out to five, 10, 20 yearsfrom now when we see these rates increase and all the illnesses that result from obesity,whether it's high blood pressure, or heart disease, cancer. and believe it or not, which is a very surprisingthing, medical experts are now warning that for the first time in the history of thisnation, we're headed for the next generation

being on track to have a shorter life spanthan us. that's the way we're going right now. and none of us wants that. none of us wantsthat for our children and for our children's futures. even if we don't care about ourselves,we don't want that for our kids. we want our children to eat right, not just because it'sthe right thing to do but because quite frankly healthy good food tastes good and we wantthem to experience that. we don't just want our kids to exercise because we tell themto. we want them to exercise because it's fun and they enjoy it. and we want them tolearn now how to lead good, healthy lifestyles so that they're not struggling to figure outhow to do that when they're older.

but as a parent, and i know all of you heretoday, we know that sometimes doing all that is easier said than done, because we all carebut it is becoming so increasingly difficult to provide all that for our kids. and youall know that better than anyone here, as parents. we're all pulled in a million differentdirections, working hard, working long hours, trying to do everything, be perfect parents.we love you guys so much we just want everything for you. but it's hard to do everything. and when youcome home from a long day at work, and the refrigerator is empty, and you know you don'tfeel like cooking -- (laughter) -- the easiest and sometimes the cheapest thing to do isto get in a fast food drive-thru. we've all

done it because we are overwhelmed and wedon't know what the options are. and today life is so different from when iwas growing up, kids. and i know your parents tell you this. i tell my kids this. when iwas growing up, fast food was a treat. you know, we couldn't afford to get fast foodevery week, because my parents couldn't afford it, so it was something you did on a specialoccasion. we had pizza about once every school year-- once every semester when we got good grades. that's when we got pizza. it was pizza day.that's what we got for getting good grades, pizza. and we didn't have dessert every single night.my mother would tell us, "dessert is not a

right. it's a treat." so we had it on specialoccasions. we didn't have -- and i have to tell my kids this -- you don't get dessertevery night of the week. otherwise it's not a treat; it's just something that you do. and my mother was also very clear in our householdthat you ate what she fixed. mmm, yes. (laughter.) you ate what she fixed, and if you didn'teat that, then you didn't eat. and in my household -- is if you say you're not hungry, then youhave to eat your vegetables, and then you get up and leave, and you don't ask for anythingelse, and go to bed, right? so these are the kind of rules that i grewup with, that all of your moms and your dads grew up with, and these are the kind of rulesand boundaries and guidelines that we want

to set for all of you. but in my household, there were no absolutes,right? i mean, we love good food, too. that's why i always say there's nothing that thefirst family loves more than a good burger, right? (laughter.) and look, my favorite foodin the whole wide world are french fries. i love them. dearly. (laughter.) deeply. (laughter.)i have a good relationship with french fries and i would eat them every single day if icould. i really would. but i know that if i'm eating the right things -- and i tellmy girls this -- if you're getting the right foods for most of the time, then when it'stime to have cake and french fries on those special occasions, then you balance it out.

so it's not about any absolute no's. it'sjust about striking a balance. and that's what i know your moms are trying to teachyou all. that's what i'm trying to teach my girls. but these days, even when parents do havethe time and the resources to buy healthy foods and make a simple meal at home, thereality is that kids are spending a third of their time at school, right? so we don'thave control over what you eat when you're at school. so even when we're -- when we'reworking hard to give our kids healthy food at home, if they go to school and eat a lunchthat's loaded with calories and fat, then all the efforts that we try to instill athome, it gets knocked off a little bit.

and many kids don't have any access to physicaleducation in the schools -- and that's also something that's also changed. when i grewup -- and i went to public schools in my neighborhood -- i don't care what you did; you had recessand you had gym on a very regular basis. so even though we're encouraging our kids toexercise, if they can't go to school and that -- get the same kind of exercise opportunities,then it makes our jobs as parents harder. and one of the things that i want to do isto begin focusing on ways that this administration can help parents, kids and families in tacklingall these challenges. we want to make it a little easier on you all -- not just tellyou what to do and what you should look like, but help you with some resources so that itdoesn't feel so impossible.

and that's one of the reasons why we're heretoday, because we know that schools can play an important role in the work that we hopeto achieve. and that's why the department of agriculture has started this wonderfulchallenge called healthier u.s. school challenge. and the goal of this challenge is to findschools who are going to commit to making fresh healthy food available -- we want themto pledge that, that's part of the challenge -- but in addition to making healthy foodsavailable, getting rid of the junk food in the school, making that pledge, get rid ofit, but also to be sure that they're setting aside time for physical activity during theday in the curriculum and teaching kids about healthy food choices during the day.

and i am pleased to announce that there areabout 635 schools from across the country who have met the challenge, and we have someof those schools with us today. but my goal is to challenge more schools andmore communities to take part in this, particularly middle and high school students, because rightnow those 635 students are at the elementary school level, and we need to take this challengeup to kids in middle schools and high schools. so i'm looking forward to visiting some ofthe schools that have joined the healthy school challenge. that's a pledge that i have. ifyour school commits to this challenge, there's a possibility that i'll come and check itout. but i'm not coming if you're not a part of the challenge, right? so we want to getmore schools to follow this lead.

and of course changing old habits is nevereasy. that's why it's going to take a broader team effort with everyone pitching in, andit's going to take government doing its part. and that's why this administration is goingto be working hard to reauthorize our federal child nutrition program, because with 30 millionkids relying on a school breakfast or a lunch as one of their primary meals of the day,we need to make sure that these meals are nutritious and well balanced, and that morekids can have access so that they don't have to go hungry in school. and the chefs and nutritionists here todayare going to show us how we can use the food that the usda provides to schools as a wayto prepare really tasty, healthy foods. that's

why they're here today, because they're goingto take that food that you get in the schools and do some special stuff to show that withthe food that we have, we can probably do even better than we're doing. we'll also need all you kids to be a partof that. now, i know you're dozing off. i see it. (laughter.) it's hot, i want to play.(laughter.) but we're going to need you, too. and what are we going to need you to do? child: stay healthy. mrs. obama: yes, sir. what? mrs. obama: stay healthy. and how do you stayhealthy?

child: eating the right things. mrs. obama: eating the right things. we'regoing to need you to help your parents with these choices. so when vegetables on yourplate -- we don't want to hear, "i don't want to eat it. i don't like it." (laughter.) "ittastes bad. i don't want it." we don't want to hear the whining. we want you to eat it.just eat it, right? (laughter.) and what else do we need you to do? if you'regoing to be strong and healthy, what do we need you to do? child: be good, be healthy, and be nice. mrs. obama: be good, be healthy, and be nice.(laughter.) yes. and exercise. you've got

to play. so in order to play, you've got toturn off what? children: tv. mrs. obama: turn off the tv. in our household,no tv during school days. and only a couple hours during the weekend, i'm sorry. but becausethe tv is off, my girls get up and they move. even if they're pushing each other down, they'rerunning. (laughter.) so we're going to need you to help your parents.turn off the tv on your own. get up and throw a ball. run around the house. don't breakanything, but move. try to go outside if you can. that's why we're here at the white house,because we're reaching out to schools, to

families, to kids. and we're inviting youguys to be a part of our team and think about all of us doing our part. and one of the children who came here andhelped us with the garden -- this was a very powerful moment in this whole garden experience,was after we planted and we harvested and we ate together, the kids talked about thisexperience. some of the kids from bancroft school -- yay-- (applause) -- they're a little older than you, but they were fifth-graders. and oneof them -- a few of them wrote that -- she said she's "a pretty regular fifth-graderwho loves sweets." and she said because of her time in the garden, she said "…has mademe think about the choices i have with what

i put in my mouth." so she learned about thepower of what choices she makes -- not what her mom tells her what to do, not what herteachers, but the choices that she makes. and another child wrote -- he said -- it wasinspired -- "it has inspired us to eat better and work harder." and then there was the student who wrote withgreat excitement about what he learned about tomatoes. i remember this because he readthis report to me. he said, not just that they're both a fruit and a vegetable but that"…they fight diseases like cancer and heart problems, and that they have a lot of vitaminsin them, too." and armed with that knowledge, he declared, "so the tomato is a fruit andit is now my best friend." (laughter.)

that's what we want you all to think, thatvegetables and fruits are not the enemy; it is the power to a good future. and in theend, that's what we're all trying to do here. that's why we've invited you to the southlawn. that's why all these cameras are here. that's why secretary vilsack is here, becausewe are now focused on your future and what are you going to feel like and be. and partof that has to do with your health. and it starts with how you eat and how you exercise. so we hope you guys are all game to join thefight. we hope that there are schools all across this country that will join the challenge.we hope that there are more parents that are going to be focused in thinking about waysthat we can help you all.

but i now want to turn it over to secretaryvilsack who has been a phenomenal partner in this effort. we couldn't do this withoutthe work of the department of agriculture, and he has been steadfast in this fight toensure that children have healthier options in the schools. so he has been a dear friend,and i want you all to give him a big round of applause and welcome him to the podium.thank you so much. (applause.) mrs. obama: thank you. good afternoon, everyone,and welcome. i am so thrilled you could join us today as we mark national breast cancerawareness month right here at the white house. and i want to thank jill so much for thatkind introduction, as well as her phenomenal work that she's done to educate young womenabout this disease.

i think jill is one of those examples of howone passionate advocate can really make a difference, and we are grateful to you foryour leadership and the successes that you've had in your work. and most of all, i am gratefulto you for your friendship, as always. i also want to thank tina tchen, who manyof you already know for her outstanding work as director of the office of public engagement.tina, thank you so much. and i want to take a moment -- yes, let's give tina -- (applause.)i don't want to step on your applause, tina. and i also want to take a moment to recognizeall of the survivors and the advocates who are here today who have worked so hard andfor so long to raise money and raise awareness to fight this disease, particularly vernal,joni, and venus, for having the courage to

share their stories with us today. i mean,it's hard getting up and speaking about good news, right, let alone to talk about somethingthat is so personal to a crowd of strangers and a whole lot of cameras. (laughter.) so -- but it's important for them and forus to remind them that it's sharing these stories that really makes a difference. ittakes the veil off of this disease, because it wasn't that long ago that people thoughtthat breast cancer was something to be ashamed of and to keep it a secret; something thatyou didn't discuss in polite company. some people even wondered, if you can believe itor not, whether breast cancer was contagious. and at the first fundraising lunch hostedby the komen foundation, the description of

the event was written in one paper as a "women'scancer event," because the word "breast" was considered too risquã© to print. but then, people like you, all of you here,started speaking out, including two of my predecessors, first ladies betty ford andnancy reagan. they began speaking out. survivors and those who love them startedorganizing and advocating and lobbying for more money, for more research, and bettertreatment for this disease. and then folks like venus and jill startedworking to educate and empower people to promote early detection and make sure that peoplewere getting the care that they needed. and today, because of that work, the numberof women getting regular mammograms has dramatically

increased, and the five-year survival ratewhen breast cancer is diagnosed in time is 98 percent -- and that's compared to 74 percentin the early 80s. and today, we spend $900 million on breastcancer research, which is 30 times more than what we spent in 1982. so we have come a longway. (applause.) and you should all be proud of what you'veachieved to get us this far. but what we all know is that we are not finished yet. we arenot finished yet. we know we're not finished when nearly one in eight women is still diagnosedwith breast cancer in their lifetime -- a total of one woman every three minutes -- andnearly 2,000 men are diagnosed each year as well, and that's something we don't oftendiscuss.

and we know we're not finished when 40,000women a year still die from this disease. that's one woman every 13 minutes who's dyingfrom this disease today. and we know we're not finished, especiallynot when we have a health care system in this country that simply is not working for toomany people with breast cancer and too many people who are surviving with breast cancer.it's a system that only adds to the fear and stress that already comes with the disease. and i'm not just talking about women withoutinsurance, who face the terrifying prospect, as you've heard, of having to pay the fullcost of their treatment on their own. i am talking about people in this countrywho have insurance who have breast cancer

-- folks who all too often find themselvesalso paying outrageous out-of-pocket costs. according to a new report released by thedepartment of health and human services today, breast cancer patients with employer-sponsoredinsurance paid an average of more than $6,200 in out-of-pocket costs over the course ofa year. and some wound up paying as much as $10,000 or $20,000, and 5 percent with privateinsurance paid more than $30,000 a year for their treatment. this is with insurance. these are people whoare blessed. and then there are those annual lifetime capsthat insurance companies set, where once you go over that cap -- as many women do becausesome forms of breast cancer are so expensive

to treat -- then that cap makes it impossibleto pay a penny more for that treatment. and one recent survey showed that 10 percentof all cancer patients report hitting a cap on their benefits, leaving them scramblingto find alternative insurance to figure out how to pay out of pocket for the rest of theirlifetime. and then there's what happens when you'vegone through all the treatment and you're finally in remission, which should be goodnews. you're finally in remission and you're finally feeling like yourself again. you feelwhole and happy. but then, as you've heard, you're stuck, as joni said, with a targeton your back for the rest of your life with a "preexisting condition," which means thatinsurance companies can deny you coverage

or charge you higher rates for coverage -- sometimesmuch higher. that's exactly what happened to vernal, tojoni, and to venus. these women were denied insurance, and now joni and venus are eachpaying very high premiums for their coverage. and as you've heard, venus's insurance won'teven cover treatment if she has a reoccurrence. so i know that a lot of survivors like themare terrified. they are living in fear of losing their jobs or changing jobs or evenmoving, because they worry they won't be able to find affordable insurance. and perhaps most heartbreaking of all is thefact that right now, today in america, there are people in this country who have breastcancer but don't even know it, because they

can't afford a mammogram. according to ournew report, one in five women age 50 and above haven't gotten a mammogram in the past twoyears. and while that's better than it was a few decades ago, it's nowhere near goodenough. and this is not acceptable. this is not acceptablein this country. this is something that could happen to any of us. and this is a disease, as we know, that affectsnot just those diagnosed with it, and not just those who've survived it and those who'velost their lives to it, but it is a disease that also affects those who love and knowthem -- which these days seems like almost every single person in this country.

that's why it is so critically important thatwe finally reform our health care system that is causing so much heartache for so many peopleaffected by this disease. now is the time. fortunately, that's exactly what the plansbeing considered by congress right now would do. so just to be clear, under these plans, ifyou already have insurance that works for you, then you're all set. you can keep yourinsurance and you can keep your doctors. the plans put in place some basic rules ofthe road to protect you from abuses and unfair practices by insurance companies. that wouldmean no more denying coverage to people like women we heard from today because of so-calledpreexisting conditions like having survived

cancer. (applause.) because there's a beliefthat if you've already fought cancer, you shouldn't have to also fight with insurancecompanies to get the coverage that you need at a price that you can afford. (applause.) these plans mean insurance companies willno longer be allowed to cap the amount of coverage that you can get, and will limithow much insurance companies can charge you for out-of-pocket expenses, because in thiscountry, getting sick shouldn't mean going bankrupt. (applause.) and finally, these plans will require insurancecompanies to cover basic preventative care -- from routine checkups, to mammograms, topap smears -- at no extra charge to you. and

though i want to emphasize that in the end,as we all know, it's our responsibility as women to also talk to our doctors about whatscreenings that we need and then make the appointments to get those screenings, evenwhen it's inconvenient or maybe a little bit uncomfortable. it's something that we owenot just to ourselves but to the people that love us. because we know the difference that earlydetection makes. we know that if breast cancer is detected early, it's far easier to cureand much less costly to treat. so we can save money, we can save lives, and we do rightby the people that we love. so that's how health insurance reform willwork. that's how it will help people who have

been diagnosed with breast cancer and thosewho've survived the disease. but first, we have to get it passed. first we have to getit passed. (applause.) but that's the hard part. we know that thereare all sorts of myths and misconceptions out there, and we know there are folks whowill do anything they can to stop reform because, for whatever reason, they want to keep thingsthe way they are. from where we stand now, it might seem likean uphill battle. but fortunately, folks like you know a little something about an uphillbattle, right? you know a thing or two about overcoming long odds and rallying people toan important cause. now, let's remember that there was a timewhen those affected by breast cancer never

could have imagined all these pink ribbonsthat would one day grace the white house, offices, storefronts, lapels. i don't thinkthey could have imagined some hulking nfl player decked out in pink cleats and pinkgloves. (laughter and applause.) i don't think they could have imagined a day when so manypeople would wear jeans to raise money for a cure. i don't think they could have imaginedhow many people would lace up their shoes to take part in walks and runs and races allacross america. and it is my hope that if we pass health insurancereform, then 20 or 30 years from now, just imagine, our daughters and our granddaughterswon't be able to imagine a time when any woman in this country couldn't get a mammogram becauseshe couldn't afford it. (applause.) i hope

that our children and grandchildren won'tbe able to imagine a time when anyone in this country went bankrupt just because they hadthe misfortune of getting sick. and i hope that statistics like one in eight and oneevery 13 minutes will be incomprehensible to our kids -- incomprehensible -- becauseof all the strides that we've made and the work that we've done for this cure and forthis reform. and in the end, that's really what healthinsurance reform is all about. it's not about us. it's about them. it's about the future.that is what we're fighting for. that's what we have to remember. that's what this fightis about. and that's why we're so grateful to all ofyou for the hard work and commitment and sacrifices

that you've made. and we look forward to workingwith all of you in the weeks and months ahead. thank you so much. thank you. mrs. obama: thank you. thank you, everybody.thank you. please. thanks so much. first of all, forgive me -- i’ve got children, andnow i have a cold. (laughter.) it goes along with the territory. let me begin by first thanking tina tchen,who’s doing an outstanding job as director of the office of public engagement by openingup this white house to the american people and organizing events like this one today.she’s just been a terrific asset and a dear friend -- and let’s give her a round ofapplause. (applause.)

and i also want to commend nancy-ann for herextraordinary leadership on health care -- health insurance reform. i know my husband, who istraveling abroad right now, would agree with me when i say that without her, we wouldn’thave come this far, and because of her, we’re going to get the job done. so we are gratefulto you, nancy-ann. (applause.) and of course, i want to thank all the womenwho are here today. this is a wonderful, lively group -- i heard you all giggling earliertoday. (laughter.) but i also want to thank the women who spoketoday -- to kelly and fran and judy -- for sharing their stories. what they’ve beenthrough isn’t easy, and i’m grateful that they have been brave enough and open enoughto share their stories with all of us. it

takes a lot of courage. these stories touch our hearts. they sparkin us just a fundamental sense of unfairness. but the sad truth is none of these storiesare unique. these kinds of stories are being told in city after city, town after town,all across america. they’re being told by women who lost their coverage when their husbandlost a job, or their husband passed away. they’re being told by women who aren’tgetting regular checkups because it’s simply too expensive. they’re being told my womenliving on fixed incomes who can’t afford the prescription drugs that they need. all of these stories reflect the fundamentalreality -- and that is, women are among those

struggling most under the status quo, theway things are. and women are among those who will benefit most from health insurancereform because the truth is that women, we have a special relationship with our healthcare system. in a lot of families that’s true because we are the health care systemin so many ways. (laughter.) eight in 10 mothers say they’re the onesresponsible for choosing their children’s doctors, taking them to appointments, andmanaging the follow-up care. and over 10 percent of all women are now caring for a sick orelderly relative. our entire lives as women, we are asked tobear much of the responsibility for our family’s health and well-being. and yet, we often facespecial challenges when it comes to our own

health insurance. part of it has to do withthe fact that women are more likely than men to do part-time work or to work in a smallbusiness -- in jobs that are less likely to offer the kind of insurance that you reallyneed. in fact, over half of all women in this country don’t have the option of gettinginsurance through the workplace at all. but even women who do have insurance faceinequities under the status quo. because women make less than 80 cents for every dollar theirmale coworkers make, it’s more difficult for them to pay their premiums -- especiallywhen studies show that they’re paying far more than men for the same coverage. and i don’t think anyone here will be surprisedto learn that a recent study found that one-third

of all women have either used up savings,taken on debt, or given up basic necessities just to pay their medical bills. and as manyof you know firsthand, these kinds of problems -- the problems of coverage and cost -- onlygrow worse when you get older, making quality, affordable coverage harder to come by just-- as we’ve seen today and heard today -- just when you need it the most. in the individual market, people in theirearly 60s are more than twice as likely to be denied coverage than people in their late30s. older women are more likely than men to face a chronic illness, but they’re lesslikely to be able to afford the cost of treating that illness. and in recent years, studieshave shown that women over the age of 65 spend

about 17 percent of their income on healthcare. and that’s just not right. our mothers and grandmothers, they have takencare of us all their lives; they’ve made the sacrifices that it takes to get us wherewe need to be. and we have an obligation to make sure that we’re taking care of them.it’s as simple as that. america has a responsibility to give all seniors the golden years theydeserve and the secure, dignified retirement that they worked so hard to achieve. (applause.) and that’s exactly what health insurancereform is going to help us do in this country. now, i can tell you -- i can’t tell, actually,what the bill that will ultimately land across my husband’s desk will look like -- noneof us can. but i can tell you just a few important

ways that the insurance system will be impacted. for starters -- and this is very important-- your insurance will not change unless you want it to change. so if things are greatfor you, you’re fine. (laughter.) it will, however, become more stable and more secure,no matter what your situation is. there will be a cap on how much you can be charged inout-of-pocket expenses in a year or in a lifetime. so there will be a cap. it will be againstthe law for insurance companies to deny you coverage for preexisting conditions. (applause.)and that change alone will help us end the discrimination women face in our health caresystem. and also, insurance companies will be required to cover, at no extra cost, routinecheckups and preventive care.

and i’d like to speak just a moment aboutwhat reform will mean for seniors, in particular. there’s been a lot of misinformation onthis topic so i want to be clear -- nancy-ann mentioned this: not a dime of the medicaretrust fund will be used to pay for reform. health insurance reform will not endangermedicare; it will make medicare more stable and secure. (applause.) by eliminating wastefulsubsidies to private insurance and cracking down on fraud and abuse throughout the system,this administration believes that we can bring down premiums for all our seniors and extendthe life of the medicare trust fund. my husband believes that medicare is a sacredpart of america’s social safety net, and it’s a safety net that he will protect -- hewill protect with health insurance reform.

and i know that many seniors on medicare arealso concerned about the cost of prescription drugs; we’ve heard about it here. right now, millions of seniors face huge out-of-pocketcosts when their spending on drugs falls within a coverage gap. my husband is committed toclosing that gap, which will save some seniors, as you’ve heard, thousands of dollars onmedications and make prescription drugs more affordable for millions of older americans.(applause.) so what we’re talking about -- affordable prescription drugs for americanswho need them; medicare that’s protected today and tomorrow; stability and securityfor americans who have insurance; quality, affordable coverage for americans who don’t.that’s what reform will mean for older women,

for seniors, and for all americans. so that’s why i believe in this so strongly.that’s why i believe in this so strongly. but in the end, i’m not here just as a firstlady. that’s not why i’m doing this. i am here because i’m a daughter. i’m herebecause i have an extraordinary mother who is 72 years old -- young. (laughter and applause.)and i know there are countless women in this country who have loved ones who feel the sameway about them as i do about my mother. and when all is said and done, part of whyi believe so strongly in reforming our health care system is because of the difference itwill make for these women who gave us life -- so simple -- these women who raised us,these women who supported us through the years.

they deserve better than the status quo. theydeserve a health care system that heals them and lifts them up. and that’s what my husband is committedto doing, to building that kind of system in the weeks and months to come. so thank you all. thank you for sharing yourstories. thank you all for your hard work and dedication, for listening, for being apart -- and let’s get to work. thank you so much. (applause.) mrs. obama: thank you. thank you. thank youeverybody. thank you so much. thank you. isn't this nice? (laughter.) just so very nice.

let me begin by thanking secretary napolitanofor that very kind introduction and for her outstanding work in keeping this country safe.she is a true friend and she has been doing an amazing job and we are so proud to haveher on our team. i'd also like to thank to dr. jill biden -- ablue star mom, by the way -- and a dear friend of mine as well. she has just been a tirelessadvocate of highlighting the service of the national guard and reserve members and families.it has just been a thrill for me to be able to work with her on this issue and many others.jill, thank you for everything you’ve done. and i also would like to acknowledge representativessusan davis, gwen moore, as well as jan schakowsky, who are here, for their terrific work andfor joining us here today; it's good to see

you all. and i also want to recognize generalcartwright, vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, along with the members of the jointchiefs of staff who are here, and their wonderful wives -- and this wasn’t in the script,but please stand so that we can recognize and thank all of you -- i know you weren'tsupposed to this, but you can do it, it's my house. (applause.) you know, jill and i are particularly gratefulto the wives of the members of the joint chiefs of staff because they have -- from day onewe sat down with them and got advice and guidance on sort of how to develop our initiatives.so we're grateful to you. and i also want to thank to the senior enlistedadvisors who are here today and their wives

-- and i'd also like to ask them to standas well so we can give them a round of applause. (applause.) thank you so much. again, with the spouses, we met with shortlythereafter and we had a terrific conversation. the guidance that you have given us has meanta great deal. it's really ensured that the efforts that we've undertaken are substantiveand accurate. so thank you all. thank you for your support and thank you for being heretoday. let me also thank patty shinseki for her tremendousefforts on behalf of our nation’s military children. her husband, secretary of veteransaffairs eric shinseki, is doing a terrific job and patty has become just one of my dearestfriends and just always a spot of courage

in a sea of work. (laughter.) so where's patty?patty, where are you? thank you, patty. (applause.) and if any of you are still wondering whyyou're here -- (laughter) -- it's not just tea. you have to thank general wilma vaught.general. (applause.) i had the privilege of meeting this amazing woman at the women inmilitary service memorial that occurred at arlington national cemetery -- when was that?that was a few months ago. and as you all know, she has just poured her heart and soulinto that memorial, just to ensure that america’s servicewomen receive the recognition thatthey’ve earned. and i had a tremendous visit that day andone of the things that she said -- she turned to me -- who was there? you remember, shesaid, eleanor roosevelt did a tea, and she

said something else, and she said, "we'recoming for tea, right?" (laughter.) i said, of course we're going to have tea. and herewe are. so this is why you're here. (applause.) it was an excellent idea -- excellent idea. but i also want to honor two very specialladies who are here today, and i got to meet them as well, earlier this year: esther corcoran,who was born in 1905 -- i hope you don't mind me telling on you -- (laughter and applause.)esther was one of the first women in the army to achieve the rank of lieutenant colonel-- pretty amazing. (applause.) and she is joining us today with alyce dixon, who wasborn in 1907 -- alyce. (applause.) and alyce served with the famous 6888th central postaldirectory battalion during the second world

war. so let's give them both another roundof applause. (applause.) these ladies have contributed a great dealto this country, and while their lives may span a century, they’re both young at heart-- i've talked to them, they're pretty spunky -- (laughter) -- and we are thrilled to haveyou both here today, thrilled and honored and grateful for your service. and finally, i want to thank all of you -- allthe women who have served this nation with courage, determination, and distinction, fromworld war ii to today in iraq and afghanistan. you have served in times of war and in timesof peace -- an all-volunteer force right from the beginning -- part of a proud traditionthat stretches back more than two centuries.

long before women had the right to vote -- longbefore we even had the right to vote -- or own property, before america even existed,women were serving this country -- facing danger, risking their lives, even dressingup like men so they’d be allowed to serve. and it’s never been an easy path. i canonly imagine how challenging it has been and continues to be. i know that some of you havefaced skepticism and ridicule. some of you had to contend not just with the challengeof doing your jobs, but with others’ perceptions that you weren’t up to the job simply becauseof your gender. as air force veteran dr. donna loraine put it -- this is a quote -- "to bea success, a woman had to be confident, self-assured, persistent and have a great sense of humor.at times you had to employ a certain desperate

deviousness to get the job done." (laughter.) so maybe you had to work a little harder -- anda little smarter. you may have felt a little lonely at times. at times, you may have gottendownright discouraged. but you stuck it out, each and every one of you. you found colleagueswho supported you -- of all genders and all races and all backgrounds. you found superiorswho pushed you and encouraged you. and then you rose to the challenge. you rose and youfound opportunities to advance and to build exciting, amazing careers. and along the way,you all broke one "brass ceiling" after another. in this room alone, we have the first femalefour star general. we have the first woman in the navy to be promoted to master chief.the first woman in the army reserve to be

promoted to the general officer rank. we havethe first woman in the army to receive the expert field medical badge. we have the firstafrican american woman to serve as chief nurse at walter reed hospital. and so many more"firsts" and "onlys" -- and that's the result of your hard work and your courage and yourpersistence. but we know these achievements aren’t yoursalone. that's something that jill and i have talked about, we've learned more about overthe course of this year, because we know that service doesn’t just end with the personwearing the uniform. you all know that. we know that our servicemen and women’s sacrificesare their families’ sacrifices as well. and many of you have spouses, partners, children,parents who stood by you and encouraged you

and prayed for you every step of the way.and this day is their day too, as far as we're concerned. so let’s take a moment to recognizethose members of our families who supported you in your service as well. (applause.) but i hope you all know that your service-- that your legacy is more than just your own service. i hope that you know that yourlegacy will be measured in the service of every woman who follows in the trails thatyou've blazed -- every woman who benefits from your daring and determination. it willbe measured in the inspiration that you provide to our daughters and our granddaughters -- andto our sons and our grandsons as well. because of you, when young women wonder howhigh they can rise in our military, they can

look at general ann dunwoody and her fourhard earned stars. that can see that, it's real. when they ask what kind of jobs theycan do, they can look to women like all of you who’ve played just about every kindof role imaginable. and when they ask whether they can cut it -- whether they have whatit takes to succeed -- all they have to do is to look at your lives, to look into yourlives and to look at the careers that you've developed that inspire us all. they can look to the example of coast guardcommander dorothy stratton, who led the spars during world war ii. she stated, "we wantedto serve our country in its time of need." she said, i'm proud to sponsor -- oh, shedidn't say this, but i am proud to sponsor

a new coast guard cutter bearing her nameto ensure that her service will be remembered for generations. (applause.) they can look to jennifer grieves, who madehistory by becoming the first woman marine one aircraft commander, and by commandingthe first-ever flight with an all-female crew -- i remember this -- proudly carrying myhusband from the white house to andrews air force base back in july. that was a wonderfulday. they can look to tammy duckworth, who flewcombat missions in iraq and lost both her legs when her helicopter was hit by a grenade.she went on to become a fearless advocate for veterans and wounded warriors, and nowserves as assistant secretary for public and

intergovernmental affairs at the veteransaffairs department. thank you, tammy. (applause.) and they can look to the example of womenlike amy krueger, who lost her life in the unthinkable violence at fort hood two weeksago. amy had enlisted in the army after the september 11th attacks. and when her mothertold her that she couldn’t take on osama bin laden all by herself, amy replied, simply:"watch me." she said, "watch me." and i think that morethan anything, that phrase "watch me" sums up the spirit of our women in uniform throughoutour history. when others doubted you, or dismissed you, or questioned whether you could endurethe training or complete the mission -- that was your response: "watch me." right?

watch me succeed. watch me risk everythingi have for the country i love. watch me do my part to protect this nation and protectthis union. watch me. so we thank you for your courage and yourservice. we're honored to have you in our presence. we're thrilled, general, that youcame up with this brilliant idea. (laughter.) and we hope that you don't spike the tea untilafter we leave. (laughter.) but we are thrilled to have you here. welcome to the white houseand thank you so much for your service. thank you and god bless. (applause.) mrs. obama: thank you. welcome, everyone.how are you all doing? it's good to see you. well, as desiree mentioned, this is a veryexciting time here at the white house and

we are just excited to welcome all of you.we've got a big day going on -- this is our first official state visit of the obama administration.it's very exciting for us. and today the president is welcoming and workingwith india's prime minister singh. and this evening, tonight the president and i are goingto be hosting our first state dinner -- and we're hosting for the prime minister and hiswife, mrs. kaur, who we met earlier today. so one of the things we thought -- and i don'tknow about all of you -- is whether you wonder, what are these state dinners all about andthese state visits? because when i was your age i didn't know what they were doing. sowe thought it would be fun to take a little time to expose you to what's going to happentoday and this evening. so that's why you

are all here today and we're really excitedto have you. these state visits and dinners are a reallyimportant part of our nation's diplomacy. throughout history, they've given u.s. presidents-- and the american people -- the opportunity to make important milestones in foreign relations.so these dinners and events are really critical to what we do internationally. and they'vehelped build stronger ties with nations as well as people around the world. that's whatpresident obama and prime minister singh are doing today. and i know that all of us on our team hereat the west wing and the east wing, we wish that we could include many, many more peoplein today's events and this evening's events

because it's not often that you get to dothis. but even with a house like the white house, there's only so many people that wecan invite. so one of the ways that first ladies in the past have tried to include thebroader public in on what's going on is by holding these types of events where we invitethe press to share some of the incredible behind-the-scenes work that goes into planningand pulling off this amazing day. but today we're also doing something a littledifferent by having you all here. as our mentees know, one of the things we've talked aboutthat the president and i have tried to do is really open up this white house to ourneighbors here in washington, d.c., especially to local students and to children in our community.because what we know is that even though many

of you guys live just a few minutes, maybea little bit away from here -- but you're close -- these events probably seem like they'remiles and miles away, like they're just untouchable. so that's why we really tried to think aboutways to include kids in the community all throughout today's event. at the opening ceremoniestoday we invited about 50 students from local schools to attend the welcoming event. andthat's why we're so happy to have you guys here with us today. and for those of you whodon't know, these girls are a part of our young women who participate in the white houseleadership and mentoring program. and we're really thrilled to have you guys here, becausethis is your white house and we want you to be a part of what we do here.

so, how do we get this stuff done? the presidentand i are going to host this really neat dinner outside in the tent. but we describe it, it'ssort of like a swan, where we're kind of calm and serene above water -- but we're paddlinglike mad, going crazy underneath, trying to look smooth. but there's a lot of work thatgoes into making this happen and we have a lot of people who are helping to put it together.and it takes everyone at the white house and the state department and the military officewho've worked so hard to put all of the events together today -- the guest list, the invitations,the place settings that you see here, you've got to figure out who sits where -- all thatfun stuff. it takes all the folks in the kitchen -- wehave our incredible white house chef cris

comerford -- who some of you guy met -- andthe rest of our kitchen staff. and tonight, we're going to include a guest chef tonight,a gentleman by the name of marcus samuellson -- and he's one of the finest chefs in thecountry, who is going to cook the dinner this evening. cris, marcus and our kitchen staffare working on a wonderful menu tonight that you'll be able to share in a little bit. it'sgoing to showcase the best of american cooking. it's going to include the freshest ingredientsfrom area farmers and purveyors. and because of all of the hard work of some other kidsin the community, we've got this wonderful white house kitchen garden out in the southlawn and we're going to use some of the herbs from that garden in tonight's dinner as well.

but there's also more to the dinner than justthe food, even though that's going to be exciting. dinners like these also need great entertainment.so who do we have tonight? we've got someone you guys probably know a lot about: oscarwinner jennifer hudson is going to sing tonight -- yay! but also have a.r. rahman. he's alsoan oscar winner and he helped create some of the music for the film "slumdog millionaire."i don't know if you guys got to see that movie -- incredible movie. we're also going to havegrammy-nominated jazz vocalist kurt elling, who's a chicago hometown guy and we're pleasedto have him. and we're also going to have the national symphony orchestra under thedirection of marvin hamlisch, who's one of the greatest composers in this country.

so it's going to be an incredible night fora lot of our guests. and in just a few minutes, you're going to hear a little bit more aboutthe whole process of state visits and dinners from white house historian, bill allman. he'sgoing to give you a little bit of the background to how these things have worked in the past.and you're also going to hear about the importance of protocol from tanya turner, who is a protocolofficer from the state department. and protocol is critical -- protocol, how you stand, howyou sit, who walks where -- all of that is really important. so tanya is going to sharewith us how all that works and how we think about it. but before i turn it over to them, i justwant to take a few moments to share with everyone

here also why today means so much to me, personally. as you've seen from this year, i have beenon the other side of these visits and dinners -- as a guest in many countries. since becomingfirst lady, i've had the opportunity to visit eight countries with my husband, the president.and in each and every country, during each and every visit, i have been moved by thewarmth and gracious hospitality that our hosts and the citizens of the countries that wevisited have extended to the president and to me. it means a great deal when you're visitingand your hosts make you feel like you're at home, like they're excited to see you. itmeans the world.

each visit has also been unique and profoundin its own way. it's not just the pomp and circumstances and the lights and the camerasand the fancy dresses. but when we've gone to other countries we've done some incrediblethings. we've seen the jewish quarter in prague; we visited the sistine chapel at the vatican;we've been to the coliseum in rome; and the american cemetery on the beaches of normandyin france, where the world comes to honor the brave soldiers who died there. these places are more than just monumentsto history, truly. they compel us to see the world through a broader lens -- not just fromyour own backyard or your school or your neighborhood -- but they teach us to look at the worldbroadly and to look at our place in it in

a different way; to respect and admire eachother's culture and traditions in a very different way; and to honor all the values and the interestswe have in common across the world. you see this not in the pomp and circumstances,but in the people that you meet. we've met tons of incredible people over the courseof our trips: the children, and the nuns who care for them, at a beautiful orphanage thati visited in russia; young girls, girls just like many of you, that i got to spend sometime with in london at the elizabeth garrett anderson school, it was an amazing day; thenurses in the maternal health clinic in ghana, in africa, that we got to see. see, all these people -- you know, the children,these caretakers, the girls, their teachers,

these nurses and mothers that you've seen,that we met -- what you learn is that they all want the same things as you do, as wedo. folks around the world, they want to live in peace; they want to pursue their dreamsjust like you guys do -- and they have big, huge dreams just like you; and they hope fora brighter future for the next generation, just like we hope for you. doesn’t matterwhere you're from -- these dreams are the same. so what we figure out from these visits isthat all across the world -- non matter what our religions or races are -- that we areall building that future together. and building that future is not just the job of any onecountry alone. no one country can do it by

themselves. it's the responsibility of allour countries all over the world to work together. and that's why the president has worked sohard to begin what he's called a new era in our relations with the world and other countries.he's worked to strengthen diplomacy. he's worked to renew old alliances, so that we'retalking differently with countries and people that we haven't talked to before. he's buildingnew partnerships -- and these partnerships he hopes will be based on mutual trust andrespect. but one of the things that the president hassaid is that this new era of engagement can't just be between governments -- you know, it'snot just about the presidents and prime ministers getting along. this new era of engagementalso has to be between the people -- the diplomats,

the business leaders, the scientists, thehealth care workers. and yes, the teachers and the students. young people just like youare a part of building that future and that engagement, the ability to exchange with oneanother as young people as you are is critical. and that's why the president, when he goesto another country he makes it a point to visit and to speak with students all aroundthe world -- whether he was in europe or cairo or china -- he always reaches out to youngpeople. and we need to expand that type of educational exchange, so that students likeall of you here have the opportunity to experience and learn from other cultures -- and to shareyour own culture, however unique and different, with other parts of the world.

deepening these ties is one of the thingsthat the president and the prime minister are working on today, one of the reasons forthe trip and the state dinner is for these leaders to work together -- whether it's alongthe lines of working on the economy or climate change or global health -- they know thatyoung people like you, students, our future leaders are among america's greatest ambassadorsand india's greatest ambassadors as well. in fact, india sends more students to studyin this country than any other country -- this year alone more than 100,000 students fromindia came here to america to study somewhere. so by doing that they learn from us, and welearn from them in a very fundamental way. and as a result of those interactions, we'reall the richer for it. and after today's visit,

we'll hopefully expand these exchanges evenmore. and who knows, maybe one of you all sitting at this table, one of our little mentees,will be living and studying somewhere in india -- maybe new delhi or mumbai or bangalore.just imagine that, start thinking about your future in that way. this visit at this tableis the beginning of that for all of you. because, again, governments alone can't build the futurethat we want for the world. that's the job for each and every one of us. so that's one of the lessons for today. it'sour job -- and that's one of the lessons of the relationship between the united statesand india. back when the president was a senator, hekept a picture of mahatma gandhi, the father

of india, in his office. and it was beforehe was a senator, he was always a big supporter and admirer of gandhi, because gandhi inspiredso many people -- in india and all around the world -- with his example of dignity andtolerance and peace. and with a simple call, gandhi would say: to be the change we wishto see in the world -- we are that change. we are that change. so again, today is a celebration of the greatties between the world's two largest democracies -- that's the united states and that's india.but it's also an opportunity to deepen those ties -- and a reminder to be the change thateach of us seeks -- whether that's in your home or in your school or in your communityor in your country, you are all the change

that we need. so i'll stop lecturing and i will now turnit over to bill and to tanya, who will talk a bit more about the history and protocol.and then we get to test out some of the food. so again, we are proud to see you, happy tosee you. we're going to see you again in december, because we're going to do some more fun stuff.i know we have three new mentees here. can you guys, the new mentees, raise your hands?i see some new faces. welcome. it's good to have you. we're going to have a lot of fun.just ignore them, pretend that they're not here. (laughter.) and i'll turn it over tobill. thank you guys, so much. bill. mrs. obama: good afternoon. welcome to thewhite house and happy holidays! thanks to

all of you for joining us here today as wepreview how we will mark the holidays here at the white house. now, like many years past, we've actuallybeen planning this day, and the holiday season, since the summer. and our starting point wasa very simple idea: that we include as many people, in as many places, in as many waysas we can. so we decided to do something just a littledifferent. we took about 800 ornaments left over from previous administrations, we sentthem to 60 local community groups throughout the country, and asked them to decorate themto pay tribute to a favorite local landmark and then send them back to us for displayhere at the white house.

and today, thanks to the east wing and residencestaff, and 92 volunteers from 24 states who spent more than 3,400 hours decorating overthe last several days, we have ornaments hanging on the tree behind me throughout the whitehouse and everywhere else that include the statue of liberty, mount rushmore, the kennedycenter -- space center, as well as some less known places like davy crockett park in tennessee,pompey's pillar in billings, montana and one of my favorites, the lincoln park zoo in chicago. we also have one of the favorite traditionshere at the white house on display -– it's the gingerbread masterpiece by our brilliantchef bill yosses, and his team. but this year we've included something a littlebit different. in addition to the gingerbread

white house we also have the white house kitchengarden on the south lawn, a shadow box that lets you look into the gingerbread white houseand view the state dining room. and i just saw there's also a little bo replica. (laughter.)so that's a new addition. and we opened the doors last night to thefirst of more than 50,000 visitors who will come to the white house during this holidayseason, and it's safe to say that everyone was really impressed. and i heard you allpartying last night. you had a great time. (laughter.) for many people, a visit to the white houseis a once-in-a-lifetime experience and it has been made even more magical because ofall of your hard work, all of our volunteers.

so i want to take just a moment again to thankall of our volunteers who spent so much time making this white house such a special treat,and we hope you had as good a time as it sounded like you had last night. (laughter.) yourwork has really transformed the white house, which is, as we always say, the people's house,and we're so grateful for everything that you've done to make this really a specialtreat for all of us. and finally, i want to take a moment to talkabout why we chose this year's theme, which is "reflect, rejoice and renew." and for the obama family, christmas and thenew year has always been a time to reflect on our many blessings, to rejoice in the pleasureof spending time with our family and our friends,

and to renew our commitment to one anotherand to the causes that we believe in. and i wanted to continue that part of the traditionduring our first holiday season here at the white house. and this year has been filled with an infinitenumber of blessings for me and my family. and i say this all the time, but every dayi am honored to be this nation's first lady. and from the day that my family arrived here,i have wanted the american people to share in our journey, to share in the history andthe excitement that makes the white house such a special landmark in this nation. that's why we've worked so hard throughoutthis year to invite as many people as possible

to events here at the white house. we've triedto showcase talents and contributions of our artists and our inventors, of students andmasters, of exalted heroes and ordinary citizens of every age and every background. the ideahas been to create an environment where every story and every voice is welcome in the whitehouse, and for all of us to rejoice in their accomplishments and to celebrate their contributionsto the life of this nation. and in the new year, we all intend to renewthis effort and continue this kind of outreach, so that everyone feels like they have a placehere at the white house. and i know many people approach the holidays in the same way in theirown lives, and that at this time of year for so many people, they are looking for opportunitiesto give thanks and to give back. and we're

doing the same thing here at the white house.we're focusing our efforts this year on two very important causes -- we're supportinglocal food banks, and the toys for tots program. hunger is on the rise here in america, hittingits highest levels in nearly 15 years. a recent report released by the usda reveals that in2008, an estimated 1.1 million children were living in households that experienced hungermultiple times over this year. and, of course, no child in the united states of america shouldever go to bed hungry, and no family in this country should have to worry that they won'thave food on the table, not just during the holidays, but every day. so to combat hunger this winter, in coordinationwith the corporation for national and community

service and the u.s. department of agriculture,we're launching the united we serve "feed a neighbor" initiative. and this is a programthat will provide all americans with resources to help combat hunger in their own communities.this initiative is a great way for you, for all americans, along with their friends andfamilies, to give back not just during the holidays, but throughout the year. by goingto serve.gov, this program will connect americans to opportunities like delivering meals tohomebound seniors, offering professional skills at a food pantry, or planting a communitygarden and sharing produce with neighbors. we're also pleased to be supporting the toysfor tots program. over the past year, i've had the privilege of visiting servicemen andwomen, and their families, all across this

country, and have spent much of my time inthe white house working to ensure that we properly honor their service. and each time i visit a base or meet withmembers of our armed forces and veterans, i'm struck not just by the extraordinary sacrificesthey and their family make to serve our country, but by all they do to help others right hereat home in their own communities. and the u.s. marine corps reserve toys fortots program is a great example of how servicemen and women are doing even more than just servingour country in uniform. for more than 62 years, marines have distributed more than 400 milliontoys to more than 188 million needy children. and in 2008 alone, the program was activein 657 communities in all 50 states, the district

of columbia, puerto rico, and the virgin islands.marines and volunteers distributed more than 16.2 million toys that year to 7.6 millionchildren. that was one of their best years ever. so i'm thrilled this year that the white housestaff is going to be supporting these efforts with a toy drive to help make the holidaysa little brighter for children in the surrounding communities. the toys for tots headquartersis located outside of marine corps base quantico, and i look forward to visiting there laterthis month to personally deliver the toys that we collect here at the white house. so these are just two important ways thatwe'll be marking the holidays here at the

white house. so the president and i are urgingeveryone to join us in these efforts, or to find some way to give back some time duringthis holiday season. so on behalf of the obama family, i wish allof you a joyous and meaningful holiday season. and it is my pleasure to introduce toys fortots president and ceo, lieutenant general pete osman, who will provide some additionalinformation about this year's program. thank you all very much. mrs. obama: well, thank you, everyone. it'sgood to see you all. man, okay, you can make some noise. (laughter.) i know they've toldyou to be restricted and -- but it's christmas! (laughter.) and we brought toys. it's so goodto see everybody.

let me thank a few people -- major stapp forall his work and leadership, and his wife and his family, all of your families who havehelped. we know that the marine corps, you guys do a lot of the work, but you couldn'tdo what you do if you didn't have your families supporting you. so i want to thank all thespouses who've stepped up, as well. i want to thank all the volunteers who havelent a hand to this effort. we've tried to do our part at the white house. we've madean announcement. we've led a wonderful drive that tara and lindsey have worked on on ourend. and i want to find tara and lindsey. where are you, guys? just raise your handsbecause -- oh, you guys are back there. (applause.) tara and lindsey helped to coordinate theeffort at the white house, and they did a

phenomenal job. we only brought 30 percent of what we actuallycollected because that's all that we could fit into the van, but we are still collectingas we speak. every office in the white house, not just in the actual white house building,but in the executive building, everyone has chipped in and stepped up beyond belief. thiswas one of the easy asks that we've had to do this year. so i want to thank you for allowing us tobe a part of this. the work that you do, particularly in these economic times, are so important.and what you guys represent, the marine corps, in this effort, as i was saying earlier, isthat in a time where you all are already serving

and making such a huge sacrifice, all of you-- the troops and their families -- that you show america that you can dig even deeperin this time, and put your time and effort into making sure that kids all around thiscountry have something wonderful to wake up to on christmas morning, that's what americais all about -- people already sacrificing, stepping up, and doing a little bit more. and we are just so proud and so grateful forwhat you were doing for this country, what you've done for this effort. and we will bea part of this as long as i'm in the white house. we will be continuing to help thiseffort. so i want to thank you all from the bottomof my hearts. and on behalf of the president,

malia, sasha, bo, and grandma -- (laughter)-- we wish everybody a happy holidays, a merry christmas, a happy hanukkah, everybody outthere who's celebrating anything happy. (laughter.) so let's get to work. we've got work to do.alright. (applause.)