Celebrating 28 years of focusing on reading
Julie Baker Finck, Ph.D. is President of the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation and is a guest on this week’s Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall.
The Celebration of Reading event on April 21st is a sellout and that’s a good thing because it is a major fundraiser for the Foundation that is at the forefront of putting books into the hands of children and adults throughout the Houston region.
“We know that books are a luxury that many children can’t afford and empower them with the tools necessary to become strong confident and competent book lovers is one of our most important challenges and opportunities here,” she said.
Dr. Rick Rigsby is one of the authors to be featured in this year’s Celebration of Reading and says the book is about lessons he learned from his parents, and especially his father.
“When you’re a kid you just want your folks to stop talking so much,” he said. “You get a little bit older and you start realizing this wisdom will carry you throughout your life, through the ups and the downs. Simple wisdoms like ‘Son, how you do anything is how you do everything.’ Rigsby, who is also an ordained Pastor says people need to move from wanting to make good impressions, to wanting to make an impact. Impressionistic living means they’ll invite you to the birthday party. Impactful living means you’ll never be forgotten because you develop this insatiable appetite to move beyond yourself and help other people.”
Unique Opera House opens at Rice University
The Brockman Performing Arts Center at Rice University is home to one of the best Opera Houses in the United States dedicated to students. The building offers premium performance spaces for opera and chamber music and highlights a one-of-a-kind concert hall space.
Matthew Loden is the Dean of the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University and says the experience there is exceptional for the audience and the performers with a capacity of only 600.
“The pit itself for the orchestra can put 70 musicians in an orchestra and if you’re on stage singing or playing with a different kind of ensemble you project into this intimate space and you can hear yourself in ways that you can’t anywhere else,” he said. “It’s amazing.”
For more information on this week’s Houston Newsmakers:
Julie Baker Finck, President, Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation
· Website: https://www.bushhoustonliteracy.org/celebration
Rick Rigsby, Ph.D., Author, “Lessons from a Third Grade Dropout”
· Website: https://rickrigsby.com/
Matthew Loden, Dean, Shepherd School of Music, Rice University
· Website: https://music.rice.edu/celebration