Hillary Rodham Clinton,
Biography

As a young student, Mrs. Clinton organized food drives, served in student government, and was a member of the National Honor Society. She was a member of the local Methodist youth group, and she was also a Girl Scout. As First Lady, she currently serves as honorary President of the Girl Scouts of America. Here, , Mrs. Clinton is joined by girls from a local Girl Scout chapter as she tapes a public service announcement for the Girl Scouts.

During the twelve years that she served as First Lady of Arkansas, Mrs. Clinton worked as a full-time partner of a law firm, chaired the Arkansas Education Standards Committee, which was an education committee that set public school standards in Arkansas , managed a home, and cared for her husband and daughter Chelsea. She also founded the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. She introduced a pioneering program called Arkansas' Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youth, which trains parents to work with their children in preschool preparedness and literacy. Mrs. Clinton also served on the board of the Arkansas Children's Hospital. In recognition of her professional and personal accomplishments, she was named Arkansas Woman of the Year in 1984 .

Upon taking office, President Clinton made health care reform one of the highest priorities of his Administration. In 1993, he asked the First Lady to chair the Task Force on National Health Care Reform. During the next 19 months, Mrs. Clinton travelled across the country talking to doctors, nurses, health care professionals and people from all walks of life about ways to improve the current health care system and how best to ensure that every American has the right to quality, affordable health care. Here, , Mrs. Clinton speaks at a health care rally at the University of Colorado.

When the Clintons arrived in Washington, D.C., Mrs. Clinton felt that she had not only public responsibilities as First Lady, but also the important private responsibility to make the historic, and formal, White House a true home for her husband and their daughter Chelsea . For example, because the private living quarters did not have an informal place to gather for meals, she decided to have the serving kitchen on the second floor converted into a family kitchen. There, the three of them could gather around the table just as they had in Arkansas.

One of Mrs. Clinton's many responsibilities as First Lady is to oversee the White House Special Events. Here, the President and Mrs. Clinton greet a crowd of children and their parents for the annual White House Easter Egg Roll . . Every year, children and their parents are invited to come and enjoy the festivities which include: Easter Egg hunts; Easter Egg rolls; a petting zoo, entertainment and face painting on the South Lawn of the White House and Ellipse Park.

The holiday season is another popular time at the White House. Every year, the Christmas tree in the Blue Room is a favorite attraction for the tour goers. For Christmas 1993, in celebration of the year of the American Craft, artisans from around the country were invited to contribute ornaments for the Blue Room tree, using the theme of angels. The tree skirt was hand-made by quilters from each of the 50 states and territories, and over 1,000 artists contributed to the Christmas display. Here, Mrs. Clinton shows off the White House Christmas tree in the Blue Room.

Christmas 1994 features the new holiday card, , by Thomas McKnight as well as a host of decorating surprises still to come.

The First Lady is also an art lover. As she has said, sculpture happens to be one of her favorite art forms. In fact, her first date with President Clinton was in the sculpture garden at Yale University. As First Lady, Mrs. Clinton worked with the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, and the White House Historical Society to bring an exhibit of 20th century sculpture to the First Ladies' Garden of the White House . The first part of the exhibit, which opened in October, 1994, included twelve pieces that are on loan to the White House from ten midwestern art collections. Mrs. Clinton and the Committee for the Preservation of the White House hope to continue the exhibit with pieces of sculpture from public art collections from every region of the country. In establishing this exhibit , Mrs. Clinton wanted to showcase the best of American Sculpture, in America's home, making it accessible to the many people who visit the White House every day.

In July 1993, the First Lady accompanied the President on his first foreign trip as President to Tokyo, Japan for the annual G-7 Summit of the industrialized nations. Here, they are greeted by Japanese school children on the streets of Tokyo. In the summer of 1994, they travelled to Naples, Italy, again for the G-7 Summit.

Mrs. Clinton is also a SERIOUS baseball fan! As a child, she attended Cubs games at Wrigley Field in Chicago with her father and brothers. Last year, she was invited to Wrigley Field to throw out the first ball of the Cubs' 1994 season .

Like her predecessors, Hillary Rodham Clinton brings to the role of First Lady her own special talents, experiences, style, and interests. As she continues her efforts to help others, she remains devoted in her commitment to her family, work, and service.

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