In September 2000, Michael Robins and Bonnie Morris traveled with Education Director Karen Gundlach to Washington, D.C., to accept the prestigious Coming Up Taller Award (pictured).  Recognized for our innovative work with youth, the Coming Up Taller Award was bestowed by the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.  Illusion's Peer Education Program was one of only 10 programs chosen from 247 nominations nationwide.  Illusion Theater's work has been widely acknowledged for its quality and effectiveness through the receipt of several awards and honors: 2002 Finalist for the Leadership for a Changing World Award, sponsored by the Advocacy Institute and the Ford Foundation 1999 Minneapolis Award presented to Michael Robins and Bonnie Morris for their  “outstanding accomplishments and contributions to the city of Minneapolis” 1999 Sally Ordway Irvine Award for Vision In 1999, Illusion was one of only a handful of U.S. organizations invited to present a workshop on our Peer Education model at the Regional European Conference of the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) held in Israel 1997 National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S. Dept. of Juvenile Justice Award, which named Illusion as one of eight exemplary programs using arts as a way to conduct violence prevention 1984 Emmy Award for Project Abuse, a collaboration with WCCO-TV Twin Cities Mayors Arts Award Minnesota Educators Awards Minnesota Family Council Awards for Excellence