Hybrid event to take place in person and via livestream Thursday, April 29
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 and individual ticketholders may view the program at home via private internet livestream access.
“Over the years, A Celebration of Reading has become one of Houston’s most beloved charity events which garners funding to advance Mom’s legacy of helping more people learn how to read,” said Neil Bush, co-founder of Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation. “Now more than ever, with the education system vastly disrupted amid the coronavirus pandemic, children and families need access to high-quality literacy programs and resources, and the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation is poised to help fill this need.”
The 2021 lineup features bestselling authors George W. Bush, forty-third President of the United States and author of three #1 bestsellers including Decision 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. Elin Hilderbrand, author of 26 books including the Winter Series and the Paradise Series, will speak about her upcoming book Golden Girl which is set to release this June. Husband-wife duo Peter Baker, Chief White House correspondent for the New York Times and MSNBC political analyst, and Susan B. Glasser, staff writer at The New Yorker and founder of the award-winning Politico Magazine, will participate in an interview moderated by KPRC’s Dominique Sachse where they will discuss their co-authored book, The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker, III about the beloved former U.S. Secretary. Last but not least, award-winning American actor and producer Matthew McConaughey will join Dominique for a virtual interview during which he will discuss his book Greenlights. Houston-area natives and finalists on Season 19 of NBC’s The Voice, John Holiday and Desz, 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 mission 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, Greg and Gail Garland, Shell and Stuart and Limor Smith/Sue Smith.
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. Sponsors will also have the option of viewing the program via livestream. Individual ticketholders may also enjoy the program via livestream. Proceeds from the event 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/celebration.
