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    Menninger Signature Luncheon

    ABC anchor Elizabeth Vargas talks frankly about addiction and road to recovery at Menninger luncheon

    Clifford Pugh
    May 10, 2017 | 12:34 pm

    What: The Menninger 2017 Annual Signature Luncheon with Elizabeth Vargas.

    Where: Westin Galleria Hotel.

    The scoop: Award-winning ABC News anchor and correspondent Elizabeth Vargas, author of the bestseller, Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction, riveted the audience of 650 with frank talk about her struggles with anxiety and alcohol and her road to recovery. Vargas discussed some of the myths of addiction, such as the erroneous belief that addicts lack self-discipline or that addiction is a choice.

    "Last year, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an unprecedented, comprehensive report calling addiction a huge public health crisis that is in fact a disease. More people suffer from it than all cancers combined in this country and only one in 10 people get help," said Vargas, who co-hosts 20/20 with David Muir on ABC.

    She stressed the importance of talking openly about addiction and other mental health issues. "Don't be afraid to reach out for help. Don't feel afraid to say, ' I don't know.' And ask somebody. I don't know where I got the wrongheaded message that it was weak to ask for help, that I would be judged harshly. You can only get better when you get the help we all need, not just me. A lot of people need help, but they hate asking for it," she said.

    And, she noted in closing, don't be too judgmental of others. "Everybody has something they're struggling with. Be kind," she said.

    ABC13 news anchor Melanie Lawson conducted the revealing onstage interview with Vargas, who hung around afterwards to pose for photographs and sign copies of her book.

    Former patient Simone Hunt also shared her story about coming to Menninger as a malnourished, drug addicted, and traumatized 20-year-old who had survived several suicide attempts. Now 25, she details her road to recovery in a blog thingsgetweird.com and a forthcoming book, If You're Freaking Out, Read This.

    Ronny Cuenod, who co-chaired the luncheon with his wife Dorothy, and Jeff and Paula Paine, spoke of the agony of losing a child to suicide and how his family learned to cope with the devastation. "In order to turn tragedy to triumph, you need to look around and say, 'I love you,' 'I need to say I'm sorry,' 'I need to ask how can I help you?'," he said.

    Lynne Paine, Nancy Runnells, and Beverly Wuntch, founders of The Gathering Place, the Menninger psychosocial clubhouse that provides free rehabilitative services to approximately 75 members each day in Houston, were honored. Menninger Clinic president and CEO Dr. C. Edward Coffey also detailed the completion of a capital campaign for a new $16 million outpatient services and education center on the Menninger campus. Menninger Clinic Foundation Board chair Maureen Hackett spearheaded the fundraising drive.

    The luncheon raised $575,000 to benefit mental health treatment, research and training at The Menninger Clinic, the nationally-ranked mental healthcare system offering inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment.

    Who: Also spotted in the crowd were Cynthia and Tony Petrello, Vivie O’Sullivan, Chris Knapp, Kelly Hackett, Mosie Hackett, Elaine Finger, Mindy Hildebrand, Allen and Carol Lyons, Howard Tellepsen, Emily Bush, Dr. Kathy C. Flanagan, Stephanie and Brad Tucker, Cyndy Garza-Roberts, and Menninger Clinic board chair Rob C. Wilson III.

    Kathy Coffey, Dr. C. Edward Coffey.

    Kathy and Dr. C. Edward Coffey at Menninger Clinic luncheon
      
    Photo by Jenny Antill Clifton
    Kathy Coffey, Dr. C. Edward Coffey.
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    Honoring The Enforcer

    Kelsey Grammer and Nate Bargatze honor Barbara Bush at Houston fundraiser

    Joel Luks
    May 5, 2025 | 9:00 am
    Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation Celebration of Reading 2025
    Photo by Jacob Power
    Victoria Christopher Murray, Kelsey Grammer, H.W. Brands, and Nate Bargatze.

    The 31st annual A Celebration of Reading was a storybook affair, gathering nearly 1,300 guests at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts on April 1. Hosted by Maria and Neil Bush, the evening honored the enduring legacy of First Lady Barbara Bush and commemorated what would have been her 100th birthday.

    The result? A heartwarming night that raised more than $2.6 million for the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation's local efforts.

    The evening opened with a poignant video message from former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, followed by the Texas A&M Singing Cadets delivering soul-stirring renditions of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "God Bless America." Neil Bush and son Pierce Bush welcomed attendees with touching tributes, highlighting Barbara Bush's enduring impact on literacy and family life.

    New Legacy

    In a fitting birthday salute, Neil Bush announced the launch of the Literacy Legacy Society, with Susan Baker as honorary chair and Deborah and Monte Stavis as co-chairs. The initiative aims to grow and sustain the foundation’s programs while celebrating Barbara Bush's vibrant legacy.

    ”This is a very special year for our family, as my Ganny will have celebrated her 100th birthday,” said Pierce Bush. “She was a source of inspiration and kindness to all who knew her. There is not a day that goes by that we do not think of her and miss her quick wit, friendship, and unconditional love.”

    Authors on Stage

    Literary luminaries took center stage throughout the evening, introduced by Ashley Bush LeFevre, Sarahbeth Bush, and Julian LeFevre. Historian H.W. Brands reflected on his childhood love of reading and the complexity of his work, America First: Roosevelt vs. Lindbergh in the Shadow of War. Author Victoria Christopher Murray charmed the audience with stories of her early writing adventures and her passion for highlighting unsung heroines in history.

    Actor Kelsey Grammer delivered a deeply personal and emotional reading from his new book Karen: A Brother Remembers, chronicling his late sister's life. Comedian Nate Bargatze closed out the author lineup with his signature "non-genius" humor, sharing hilarious anecdotes from his childhood and new memoir Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind.

    Earlier in the day, the festivities kicked off with an intimate Authors’ Luncheon hosted at the River Oaks home of Terri and John Havens.

    Among those spotted in the evening crowd were Steve and Barbie Prusak, Julie and Ron Finck, Lisa and Mark Jakel, Mark and Laurie Lashier, Brian and Shana Mandell, Alvin Abraham, Claudia Kreisle, David and Pat Jones, John and Betty Hrncir, Y. Ping Sun, Daniel Kalms, Steve and Michele Maislin, Satya and Naveen Pandrangi, Emily George, Colette and Minor Taylor, Preston and Allison Schulze, Gina and Joe Carroll, Danny Ward and Nancy Ames, Ernest Trevino and Steve Ulrich, Tony Bradfield, Ginger Blanton, Martha and Mark Carnes, Juliet Stipeche, and Pam Wells.

    The celebration continues beyond the evening as media partner KPRC 2 will broadcast a one-hour, commercial-free version of the event on May 10, with a rebroadcast on June 7.

    Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation Celebration of Reading 2025
      

    Photo by Jacob Power

    Victoria Christopher Murray, Kelsey Grammer, H.W. Brands, and Nate Bargatze.

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