[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 182 (Wednesday, September 20, 2006)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 54891-54892]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-7953]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 182 / Wednesday, September 20, 2006 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 54891]]

                Proclamation 8053 of September 15, 2006

                
Literacy Day, 2006

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                The ability to read is the gateway to educational 
                excellence and a key to success in any democratic 
                society. On Literacy Day, we recognize the vital 
                importance of literacy to our Nation and affirm our 
                commitment to helping improve the lives of the men, 
                women, and children in America and around the world who 
                cannot read.

                Our society has a responsibility to ensure individuals 
                have the educational opportunities to learn to read. 
                Literacy is a basic requirement for healthy societies 
                and enables people to better care for themselves and 
                their families. Reading also encourages participation 
                in the democratic process and helps people reach their 
                full potential through self-reliance and independence.

                 My Administration is committed to helping children and 
                adults gain the reading skills they need to succeed in 
                life. Through No Child Left Behind programs such as 
                Reading First, Early Reading First, and Striving 
                Readers, we are challenging the soft bigotry of low 
                expectations and helping to provide students with the 
                foundation to achieve their dreams. Reading also helps 
                adults to be better consumers, and wider literacy 
                increases economic participation, which helps to create 
                more stable and vibrant economies. The White House 
                Conference on Global Literacy, led by First Lady Laura 
                Bush, is working to promote literacy for individuals of 
                all ages and help give people around the world the 
                skills necessary for success. By increasing literacy, 
                we can help change lives and equip all people with the 
                knowledge and tools to excel in the 21st century.

                On Literacy Day, we recognize the great value of 
                reading and encourage individuals around the world to 
                take an active role in promoting literacy. Together, we 
                can build a stronger society and a bright future for 
                people everywhere.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States, do hereby proclaim September 18, 2006, as 
                Literacy Day. I call upon the people of the United 
                States to observe this day with programs and activities 
                that advance literacy for Americans and all the people 
                of the world. By donating books to local libraries, 
                volunteering to tutor, supporting international 
                literacy programs, and fostering a learning environment 
                in the home, citizens across this great Nation can make 
                a difference and help their fellow Americans and people 
                throughout the world enjoy the benefits of literacy.

[[Page 54892]]

                 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                fifteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand six, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and thirty-first. 
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 06-7953
Filed 9-19-06; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P