Taya Kyle to Speak at Seventh Power of the Purse Luncheon

News Release

 

March 30, 2016

CONTACT: Jesse Melson, jesse.melson@ttuhsc.edu

                    (806) 414-9758

 

AMARILLO, TX – Following the tragic death of her husband—U.S. Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle—Taya Kyle has become a bold advocate for women and families and a passionate voice for faith, strength and American ideals. As executive director of the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation, she has helped continue Chris’s legacy while serving the needs of military and first responder families.

 

Taya Kyle, who has also written a New York Times bestselling book, American Wife, will be the keynote speaker at the 2016 Power of the Purse luncheon 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. April 22 at the Amarillo Civic Center’s Heritage Ballroom. The Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is hosting the event.

 

In her book, Taya Kyle recounts her personal experiences as the wife of an American hero—the highs, lows, grief and joy—as she honestly shares the trials and triumphs of life with and without Chris Kyle and how she ultimately found her place in the midst of the journey.

 

Angela Knapp Eggers, who leads the community outreach efforts at the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health, thinks the country needs to hear about, and believe in, Taya Kyle’s inspirational message of faith, family and freedom.

 

“Trials, adversity and tribulations are surmountable and we sometimes need to be reminded of the things that matter most,” Eggers said.

 

In her Power of the Purse presentation, Taya Kyle will share her family’s compelling story of love, war, faith and renewal. The theme is meant to resonate with more than just service members and patriots because Taya Kyle believes every person alive seeks love and faith in something and every person struggles and fights some sort of battle.

 

Taya Kyle’s presentation also describes how utilizing the Pay it Forward idea can produce a powerful ripple effect because one small act of kindness can mean the world to another individual and can start a movement whereby hope can be spread from one person to a whole nation.

 

Eggers said Power of the Purse is an annual event that began in 2010 to raise awareness of the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health’s mission and to provide funding for the organization’s research, education and outreach endeavors.

 

Eggers said the programs receiving funding this year directly align with the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health mission. Those programs include:

• InfantRisk Center, a call center providing crucial information about pharmaceuticals to pregnant and breast-feeding mothers. Since the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health launched the InfantRisk Center in 2011, more than 38,000 women have received advice directly from a nurse. The InfantRisk Center also has a top-ten ranked smart phone app called Mommy Meds that places safety ratings for more than 20,000 drugs, vitamins and herbs at the user’s fingertips.
• Nurse Family Partnership, a TTUHSC program that provides maternal and early childhood health programs and guidance to families most in need and then monitors these young girls/women from the beginning of their pregnancy until several months after their baby is born.
• Girls Night Out, a Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health program that provides important safety and health guidelines to incoming freshmen girls on the college level.

 

Eggers said some of the major sponsors for the 2016 Power of the Purse include the Downtown Athletic Center, the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine at Amarillo, the Josephine Anderson Charitable Trust, Amarillo National Bank, High Plains Christian Ministries Foundation and the Dr. Kent Roberts and Ilene Roberts Balliett Foundation.

 

The Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health is dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls in Texas and across the nation by advancing multidisciplinary science in women’s health. Recognizing that differences matter, the institute promotes health, individually inspired, through scientific investigation, translation of science into practice and providing outreach that impacts the community for today and tomorrow.

 

For more information about the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health or Power of the Purse, visit www.laurabushinstitute.org or call Eggers at (806) 414-9949.