What: The fourth annual Tacky Sweater Holiday event
Where: Children's Museum of Houston
The scoop: The Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation’s Young Professionals Group (YPG) recently hosted its fourth annual Tacky Sweater Holiday event, a social and service event to at the Children’s Museum of Houston.
In tribute to President George H.W. Bush, YPG members wore wear quirky and colorful socks, a trademark accessory of the former president. Upon arrival, guests flooded the photo booth which was filled with fun holiday-themed props.
Throughout the evening, more than 50 young professionals mixed and mingled in the Christmas light covered museum while packaging 9,600 books into Home Libraries purchased with the proceeds from the YPG’s annual Jungle Book Gala which raised nearly $300,000.
These bundles of books will be distributed to approximately 1,600 underserved preschool-aged children through Kids Meals, Inc., Spring Branch ISD early childhood centers, Small Steps Nurturing Center and other childcare centers who support underserved children, in time for the holidays.
The Foundation’s My Home Library program uses a custom-designed, web-based tool providing a solution to home libraries being out of reach for economically disadvantaged children. Through the My Home Library platform, children are able to create a wish list of books for their very own home library, and the community is able to sponsor a child’s home library of six books by making a $30 tax-deductible donation.
The Foundation launched the program in 2017 and will have distributed books to nearly 40,000 children by the end of 2018. YPG’s mission is to engage young professionals in Houston’s ongoing literacy crisis by creating opportunities for members to read, lead, and serve our next generation.
In a move that would no doubt make the beloved 41 smile, the evening ended with the announcement of the tackiest sweaters and craziest socks.
Who: Julie Baker Finck, Kristen Oesch Stubbs, Cameron Stubbs, Morgan Stautzenberger, Alexa Bode, Carley Colton, Victoria Villarreal, Michael Perkins, Grace Gosnell, Clark Feidler, Kristen Bennett, Lena Nguyen, Katherine Garcia, Krystal Wishkoski, Joy Saxton, Lindsey Koszela, Nikki Ellis, Rebecca Hoffman, Aubrey Simson, Carra Tharp, Chelsea Carothers, Helen Xu, Matt Warrener, and Andrew Gauthier.
Michael Perkins, Grace Gosnell, and Clark Feidler.
