Power of Literacy Luncheon

Title Sponsor

The 9th annual Power of Literacy Luncheon was held on Friday, October 25, 2024 at The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston.

We welcomed actress and New York Times bestselling author Kimberly Williams-Paisley as our esteemed featured speaker.

Power of Literacy Luncheon 2024:

Building Brighter Futures

Featured Speaker

Kimberly Williams-Paisley

Kimberly Williams-Paisley has been starring in film, television and theater for over twenty-five years. She is also an accomplished writer, with her first full-length book Where The Light Gets In landing on the New York Times bestseller list in 2016. The book was born from an essay she wrote for Redbook magazine called Is My Mother Gone? which chronicled the impact of her mother’s dementia. The piece created such national attention that she decided to delve deeper into a memoir, further exploring how she and her family coped with the illness, care, and loss of her mother.

Williams-Paisley first gained widespread recognition as the charming bride in Father of the Bride and it’s two sequels, and later co-starred in the ABC comedy series According to Jim, where she also directed episodes. Her diverse filmography includes roles in How to Eat Fried WormsWe are Marshall, and Jesus Revolution. On television, she starred in Amish Grace, Nashville and the Darrow & Darrow film series for The Hallmark Channel.  She also stared in the hit Netflix movies The Christmas Chronicles, Heartstrings and Dog Gone. 

In 2020 Williams-Paisley and her husband, country star Brad Paisley, opened The Store in Nashville, which aims to empower and dignify individuals and families seeking self-sufficiency by providing choices for their food needs.  The Store has since branched out to include other community support including Veterinary and School services.

Williams-Paisley is a Global Ambassador for CARE International and is a passionate advocate for Alzheimer’s Awareness and other charitable causes. 

Power of Literacy Luncheon Co-Chairs

Diane Gendel & Mehrnaz Gill

Power of Literacy Luncheon Over the Years

  • Storybook Gala

    Hosted by the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation’s Young Professionals Group, last year’s “party with a purpose” headed to Union Station at Minute Maid Park on Friday, November 10th, as we journeyed Around the World with Madeline.

  • A Celebration of Reading

    This year we celebrated the 30th anniversary of our signature event, A Celebration of Reading on Tuesday, April 9, 2024 at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts.