Spring Events Allow Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health to Engage with Community

Luncheon helps raise awareness and funds for gender-specific medicine.

Former first lady Laura W. Bush was the keynote speaker for a Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health luncheon March 10 in Corpus Christi. Nearly 600 Corpus Christi community leaders and donors attended the event to hear Bush speak about the Institute’s history and how the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health stays in touch with the latest topics related to women’s health, including the global importance of sex- and gender-specific medicine and research.

The effort and support received from the Corpus Christi community, especially that of Mrs. Gloria Hicks, a Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health National Advisory Board member, paved the way to an event that grossed $385,000 for the Institute.

During her presentation, Bush implored women to consistently add time to their schedules to focus on their own health issues and to make it a priority. She also explained some of the primary symptomatic differences that exist between men and women experiencing the same health issue, such as a heart attack.

“Educated, healthy women are more engaged members of society,” Bush added.

The luncheon featured a question and answer session between Bush and TTUHSC President Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D., who asked Bush if there are any secrets to explain how she and former President George W. Bush had aged so gracefully.

“Working out in some way is good for you,” Bush answered. “I have a yoga teacher, and I love to walk.”

In addition, Bush expressed her belief that maintaining a positive outlook on life and trying to be near family as often as possible are important keys to one’s good health.

Mitchell closed the presentation by thanking Bush and the audience for supporting the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health.

“Everything we teach to the health care professionals of tomorrow will affect women everywhere,” Mitchell stressed. “Everything that we do through public outreach and through awareness programs, affects not just women from West Texas, not just women in our country, but women all over. All of you, by participating in this luncheon today, helped move that needle a little bit more.”

Fashion Icon Speaks at Power of the Purse Event

Hundreds of fashion enthusiasts turned out for the Sixth-Annual Power of the Purse luncheon and designer purse auction in Amarillo. The event is one of the largest fundraisers for the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health. This year’s keynote speaker was fashion icon Lauren Bush Lauren, founder and CEO of FEED, a non-profit dedicated to providing meals to children in school.

During her address, Lauren described her multiple trips to underprivileged areas in countries all over the world while working with the United Nations (UN) World Food Programme. She presented a compelling glimpse of the prevalence of hunger throughout the world and how FEED intends to solve it.

“Food insecurity affects about 805 million people, which is roughly one in nine,” Lauren said. “And even though hunger still kills more people than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined, hunger wasn’t real for me until I went on my first trip, which was to Guatemala.”

Lauren recalled how she struggled to develop the right solution for years and was haunted by the devastating effects of hunger she had witnessed firsthand.

“For years, I wanted to do something, but then I finally had an ‘aha’ moment with the idea for the FEED bag, which was our first consumer product,” Lauren said. “Using consumer products as a means to solve hunger allows people to vote with their dollars to support a cause. It also allows people to wear the product as a ‘badge of honor’ to demonstrate their support for the cause and inspire others to get involved as well.”

FEED designs and produces fashion-forward accessories and clothing, the sales from which are used to feed children in school who may otherwise go hungry. The successful FEED line has since been expanded to include numerous bag styles, accessories and other products. Every FEED product bears a number that corresponds to the number of meals FEED is able to provide to children in need with its proceeds.

“The numbers are on the products for transparency,” Lauren explained. “People can buy these products and know exactly what their money provides. To date, we’ve provided 87 million meals.”

During her address, Lauren acknowledged that the correlation between the missions of the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health and FEED is strong.

“FEED’s mission is to create good products that help FEED the world, which is closely related to the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health’s goal of improving the lives of women and girls,” Lauren said.

Lauren explained that in many developing parts of the world, education is not prioritized, particularly for girls. However, by providing a simple, free lunch to students attending class, families are more inclined to keep their children in school.

“We are essentially incentivizing education for girls, which we know is very important to their wellbeing,” Lauren said. “Plus, you can’t be healthy, which is the Laura W. Bush Institute’s mission for women and girls, if you can’t eat.”

In all, the event raised more than $150,000 for the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health through event sales and the auction. The proceeds will benefit Institute programs like GiRL Power, educational lunches, Access to Breast Care for West Texas (ABC4WT) and other research and community endeavors.

Annual Family, Football Fame Luncheon Brings Football Legend to San Angelo

A distinguished icon in sports, entertainment and business, former Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith, also has a passion for health awareness. He expressed his sincere hope for safety, health equality and progress in sex and gender medicine at the Family, Football Fame fireside chat in San Angelo on April 9.

Angelo State University head football coach Will Wagner hosted the discussion. Smith expressed a heartfelt warning about head trauma in sports and his desire to see research into head trauma expanded. Smith said he was concerned that little is known about the long-term effects of head trauma.

“We really don’t know how serious the problem is until 10 to 15 years pass,” Smith explained.

Smith admitted that his opinion about safety has changed considerably since he was playing football. He understands why players are willing to play with head injuries, but also recognizes that it poses risks to their health.

“You [endure the pain] for the sake of the game,” Smith said. “Should you be out there? The answer’s probably not. But that’s football.”

As a health conscious retired professional athlete, Smith embodies the goal of the Laura W. Bush Institute to identify gender differences and thereby improve health care for both men and women. The sold-out fundraiser will support research and education efforts in sex and gender medicine.