BARBARA BUSH HOUSTON LITERACY FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES 27THANNUAL A CELEBRATION OF READING
Hybrid event to take place in-person and via livestream Thursday, April 29 Televised on KPRC Channel 2 in May
The Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation (Foundation) is pleased to announce that its 27th annual signature fundraiser, A Celebration of Reading, will take place as a hybrid production. On the evening of Thursday, April 29 at The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown, top sponsors will enjoy a professional-quality program, featuring a line-up of bestselling authors and fabulous entertainers, followed by dinner. Event sponsors will also have an option of watching the program at home via private internet livestream access. The Foundation’s media partner, KPRC Channel 2, will film the event and broadcast a one-hour, commercial-free version of the program in early May.“Over the years, A Celebration of Reading has become one of Houston’s most beloved charity events in our city,” said, Neil Bush, co-founder of Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation. “Amid the pandemic, we aim to provide our generous sponsors a limited opportunity to enjoy the program in person within a safely controlled environment, while also enabling donors to view the program via Internet livestream at a place of their choice. We are also grateful for the partnership with KPRC, which will enable Mom’s indelible legacy in literacy and the work of the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation to be shared in homes across the Greater Houston Region.”
The 2021 lineup features bestselling authors George W. Bush, forty-third President of the United States and author of three #1 bestsellers includingDecision Points, 41, and Portraits of Courage. President Bush will discuss his upcoming book, Out of Many, One: Portraits of America’s Immigrants, set to release on April 20. Mark Sullivan, author of more than a dozen books, including #1 bestseller Beneath A Scarlet Sky, will discuss his upcoming bookLast Green Valley which is set to release on May 4. Peter Baker, Chief White House correspondent for the New York Times and MSNBC political analyst, will discuss his most recent New York Times bestselling book, The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker, III about the beloved former U.S. Secretary. Houston-area natives and finalists on Season 19 of NBC’s The Voice, Desz and John Holiday, will perform together for the first time in a grand finale performance at A Celebration of Reading. Additional authors may be announced at a later date.
The signature event, hosted by Maria and Neil Bush, co-founders of the Foundation, continues to shine a light on the importance of reading in our community and advances the missions of former First Lady Barbara Bush’s legacy championed by the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, as well as national efforts through the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy of helping more children and adults realize their fullest potential in life and live the American Dream by learning how to read.
Phillips 66 will serve as the title sponsor of A Celebration of Reading for the sixth year in a row, continuing its leadership position in the community to promote the literacy cause. The Quanex Foundation will serve as a presenting sponsor. ConocoPhillips and Kathrine McGovern/John P. McGovern Foundation will serve as a platinum sponsors. Gold sponsors include Enbridge Energy, Marathon Oil, and Greg and Gail Garland.
The in-person, charitable event will take place on the evening of Thursday, April 29 at The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown for top sponsors. The commercial-free broadcast on KPRC Channel 2 will air in May (date to be announced).Proceeds will benefit the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation and the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.
Sponsorships for the event, including access to view the program via livestream, are available for purchase on the Foundation’s website at bushhoustonliteracy.org/
About the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation
The Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation is a charitable organization formed by Neil and Maria Bush to carry forth First Lady Barbara Bush’s legacy in the literacy cause and to focus deeply on breaking the intergenerational cycle of low literacy in the Bush family’s hometown. Founded on Mrs. Bush’s belief, “If you help a person to read, then their opportunities in life will be endless,” the Barbara Bush Foundation’s mission is to improve lives through the power of literacy – the ability to read, write, speak clearly and think critically. The Foundation serves as the champion across the Greater Houston area for the literacy cause, raising awareness for the value and importance of literacy, mobilizing volunteers and resources to build critical capacity of community-based literacy providers, and investing in local literacy programs and services that support children and families to develop strong literacy skills for success. For more information, visit www.bushhoustonliteracy.
