SACRAMENTO -- On this week's "Big Spin" show, multi-Emmy-award winning actress Betty White presented William Elliot with the California Lottery's "Hero in Education" award. White's accomplishments include working in television for six decades which made her a household name and a television legend. She starred in classic television shows such as Mary Tyler Moore as the spunky, sharp-tongued television host, Sue Anne Nivens; and as the self-centered, snooty daughter, Ellen Harper-Jackson on Mama's Family. She is best known for her role as the lovable but naïve grief-counselor, Rose Nylund on the hit television series The Golden Girls.
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For the past five years, William Elliot, the recipient of the "Hero in Education" award shared a very special gift with elementary school children throughout the greater Los Angeles area. On a weekly basis, he shows students the power and beauty of English literature by traveling from school to school, sharing Kenneth Grahame's celebrated children's classic "The Wind in the Willows." Elliot also performs, writes and composes songs based on Grahame's novel. Hoping to spark children's interest in learning, Elliot encourages them to participate in the storyline by dancing and singing along. Elliot's understands that if children enjoy what they are studying, they will truly begin to learn. As learning increases, so will their test scores, their success in academics, and their chances for a better future.
The California Lottery's distinguished "Heroes in Education" award has been presented monthly on "The Big Spin®" television show, since 1999. The Lottery enlists various celebrities to present these awards which recognize special individuals who devote their time and/or resources to assist their neighborhood schools. This week's show airs Saturday, August 23, 2003, in 12 television markets statewide.
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