Melania dramatically expands her Be Best initiative with 22 ‘ambassadors’ in government departments to push anti-bullying and anti-drugs message

• Melania Trump announced a major expansion of her Be Best campaign 
• There will be 22 ambassadors from various government agencies taking part in her anti-bully and anti-drug program 
• ‘There is no greater opportunity than that of helping children reach their fullest potential as they grow up,’ she said in a statement
• Her announcement comes after she said she’s looking forward to six more years as first lady of the United States 

Melania Trump announced a major expansion of her Be Best campaign on Monday with 22 ambassadors from various government agencies taking part in her anti-bully and anti-drug program.

‘I am thrilled that we have identified and partnered with so many organizations both inside and outside of government to help promote and expand the three pillars of BE BEST,’ the first lady said in a statement.

‘As we move into the next phase of my initiative, I look forward to the work ahead. There is no greater opportunity than that of helping children reach their fullest potential as they grow up.’

Melania Trump, seen here celebrating the first anniversary of Be Best in May, announced a major expansion of her program

Melania Trump announced the Be Best program in May 2018 and is seen here with President Trump in the Oval Office celebrating its launch

The new ambassadors will serve as a point of contact for the Be Best program – with its three pillars of the well-being of children, online safety, and combatting opioid abuse – as the first lady continues her work on those issues.

Thirteen Cabinet departments and eight federal agencies are taking part, according to a list provided to DailyMail.com by the East Wing.

‘Looking forward to collaborating with all of our #BeBest Ambassadors,’ Melania Trump wrote on Twitter. ‘Delighted to be working alongside so many people both inside and outside of government to better the lives of children everywhere!’

Be Best was founded in May 2017 – a name personally chosen by the first lady. It was off to a slow start but has grown as Melania Trump has grown more comfortable in her role.

She has shown a more active presence in her husband’s presidency this month: addressing reporters in the Oval Office when the Polish president visited and speaking at his rally formally launching his 2020 re-election bid.

Be Best has been the focus of her work in her two years in the White House.

President Donald Trump said her work on addiction issues was inspired, in part, by their 13-year-old son Barron.

‘She has a son that she loves, and she wants to make sure that Barron doesn’t have problems, and she wants to make sure a lot of people in this country see the suffering, the horrible suffering,’ he said at an administration briefing on opioid addiction last month.

At the one-year anniversary of her Be Best program in May, Melania Trump announced her plans to expand the ambassador role to increase the involvement and cooperation of federal agencies across the administration.

A representative with the United States Agency for International Development served as first ambassador for the program. Monday’s announcement added 21 more ambassadors.

The first lady also announced last month she’ll be taking another international trip this fall for her Be Best program.

That location has not yet been revealed. She went to Africa last year – her first solo trip abroad as first lady.

Melania Trump’s expansion of her signature program comes after she said she’s excited about serving six more years in the White House.

‘It has been my honor to serve as first lady of this incredible country for the past two years. And I’m excited to do it for six more,’ she told a campaign rally in Florida last week as she helped President Trump formally launch his re-election bid.

‘I’m proud of all that my husband, this administration and our entire family have done on behalf of the American people in such a short time,’ she said.

And two weeks ago, Melania Trump joined the president and his staff for an update on the administration’s efforts to combat the opioid crisis.

First lady Melania Trump addressed an opioid briefing at the White House two weeks ago

Last week the first lady spoke at the president’s formal launch of his re-election bid