Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy (4th C.D.) recently invited local students, ages 8 to 12, to enter the 2003 Arts Olympiad organized every four years by the International Child Art Foundation (ICAF).

"This art competition is a fantastic opportunity for local students," McCarthy said. "It encourages them to think about what role they will play in the coming years, and it allows them to communicate their hopes and dreams through art."

The Arts Olympiad starts with worldwide art competitions and culminates in the world's largest international children's celebration in Washington, DC - the 2003 International ChildArt Festival. The festival constitutes a historic assembly of some of the most creative children on the planet. It promises to lay the foundation for a future world leadership that is both creative and cooperative. More than one million children in 86 countries participated in ICAF's previous Arts Olympiad, and teams from 50 countries participated in ICAF's 1999 international celebration, which attracted over 125,000 attendees.

The theme for the 2003 Arts Olympiad is "Me in the New Millennium," which encourages children to think of their role in the future. Participation is free, but each school can submit just one entry. After all participating students have completed their artwork the school must select one piece to submit to an international panel of judges. Teachers should try to involve their students in the selection process as much as possible. After choosing the representative piece of artwork, the school should mail it, along with the ICAF Artwork submission form, to: International Child Art Foundation, 1350 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036.

In April 2003, ICAF will organize independent panels of art educators and artists to select the winners from each U.S. State and Territory. They, along with the winners from nearly 100 countries, their teachers and parents, will be the official delegates to the Festival in September 2003.

"I encourage every school's participation in this event," McCarthy said. "It promises to be an amazing experience for everyone involved."

Arts Olympiad Rules are as follows:

Age: 8 to 12 years old

Entries: Paintings or drawings in any two-dimensional medium

Size: Approximately 18" x 24"

Theme: "Me in the New Millennium"

Deadline: March 31, 2003

The House of Representatives is expected today to approve funding sought by Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy (4th C.D.) for key after-school and breast cancer programs on Long Island. McCarthy requested the funding for these programs last year during the 107th Congress.

Both funding provisions are included in the 2003 Omnibus Appropriations Bill, which is expected to pass the Senate this week as well. The provisions McCarthy secured include $450,000 in funds to assist the efforts of Labor and Industry for Education (LIFE) in Hewlett and $100,000 for Adelphi's Breast Cancer Hotline.

"I am pleased that we were able to obtain funds for these programs in this very tight budget year," McCarthy said. "I intend to continue working to obtain the full resources these programs need and deserve."

LIFE works closely with private industry and labor organizations to meet the many needs of the Greater New York community, through education programs including vocational training, after-school and weekend initiatives for at-risk youth, and retail vocational training for developmentally disabled children and adults. With the $450,000, LIFE plans to construct a new center in Hewlett that will be used to expand and integrate its educational programs.

"Long Island families are stronger and better because of all the good work LIFE does," McCarthy said. "I am especially excited that the organization will be using these funds to assist in purchasing computers and other equipment for the new center."

The bill also provides $100,000 for Adelphi's Breast Cancer Hotline, which serves all of Long Island, providing services such as counseling, medical referrals, information clearinghouse, community education, outreach to underserved communities and legislative advocacy.

"Breast Cancer is a major concern for us on Long Island and we must do everything possible to find a cure," McCarthy said. "The Hotline is critical to the women and families in our communities who battle this disease every day.

"Overall, I am pleased with the investments the Omnibus Appropriations Bill makes in critical areas such as education, homeland security and corporate accountability," she continued. "I support this spending bill because it addresses many priorities of Long Island working families."

The legislation also includes:

* $53.1 billion investment in education, a $3.1 billion increase over last year's amount. As part of this funding, state and local grants for Special Education and Head Start programs are significantly boosted.

"These types of grants have allowed the Economic Opportunity Commission of Nassau County to continue providing our pre-schoolers with a safe and productive place to learn and interact with other children," McCarthy said.

* $1.2 billion in new assistance to state and local first responders, and $6.1 billion for the Coast Guard, an increase of nearly $600 million from last year's amount, to help them protect America's waterways.

"While we prepare for a potential terrorist threat at home, this bill is a step in the right direction toward helping Nassau County firefighters, police officers and emergency medical personnel who are on the front lines in the war against terrorism," McCarthy continued.

"As a new member of the Financial Services Committee, I applaud an increase in funding for the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) to a record level of $716 million," she said. "These new resources will aid the SEC in protecting investors from corporate abuse."

Also included:

* An increase of $2.5 billion for medical care to take care of our veterans

* Increased funding for NASA

* Full funding of Israel's annual foreign aid package

* An $87 million increase for the Federal Aviation Administration

"Although I support the overall bill, I do have concerns about some aspects of the bill which could undermine both homeland security and quality of life issues for families in Nassau County," McCarthy said. "For example, this bill fails to provide necessary resources to fully secure nuclear facilities, slashes funding for conservation programs and allows for potential drilling in ANWR, an environmentally sensitive area in Alaska.

"This bill is long overdue. I will continue to fight for these measures in this year's budget."