Former First Lady Mrs. Laura Bush was honored by the Sewall-Belmont House & Museum on Capitol Hill at its prestigious Alice Award luncheon on Wednesday, September 19, 2012 at 12:00pm. Each year, the Alice Award honors women who have broken barriers and set new precedents for women. Through her work on education, health care and human rights, Mrs. Bush has influenced women’s lives in the United States and around the world. Like Alice Paul, she believes that a world that is good for women is good for everyone.

“We are thrilled to have honored such a worthy recipient with this year’s Alice Award. The Sewall-Belmont House & Museum is proud to celebrate Mrs. Bush’s ongoing commitment to improving women’s lives at home and abroad. We are excited to celebrate her achievements and honor her with our Alice Award,” said Lucy Calautti and Peggy Cifrino, 2012 Alice Award Co-Chairs. As the Chair of the Women’s Initiative at the George W. Bush Institute, Laura Bush continues her work on global healthcare innovations, empowering women in emerging democracies, and education reform.

The Alice Award is named after Alice Paul – suffragist, human rights activist and founder of the National Woman’s Party – who spent her life tirelessly working for women’s equality.

Read Pamela Sorensen’s write up of the 2012 Alice Award here

Read Roxanne Roberts’ write up of the 2012 Alice Award here

Thank you to our sponsors for this year’s luncheon!

Laura W. Bush

Mrs. Laura Bush is actively involved in issues of national and global concern, with a particular emphasis on education, health care and human rights. She has investigated and showcased successful programs for early childhood education, at-risk youth, global literacy, and preservation of our national parks and our country’s national treasures. And through her travels to more than seventy-six countries, including historic trips to Afghanistan, Mrs. Bush has helped launch groundbreaking educational and healthcare programs for women.

Mrs. Bush is an advocate for women’s health and has been an active participant in campaigns to raise awareness of breast cancer and heart disease, both in the U.S. and around the world. She partnered with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in The Heart Truth campaign and the Red Dress project.  And she traveled to Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Panama to help launch international partnerships for breast cancer awareness and research in collaboration with the U.S. Department of State, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Born in Midland, Texas to Harold and Jenna Welch, Mrs. Bush holds a degree in education with a master’s degree in library science.  She taught in public schools in Dallas, Houston and Austin and worked as a public school librarian. In 1977, she met and married George Walker Bush. They are the parents of twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna.

Congressional Honorary Committee for the 2012 Alice Award
U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte
U.S. Senator Susan Collins
U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein
U.S. Senator Kay Hagan
U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar
U.S. Senator Mary L. Landrieu
U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski
U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen
U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe
U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow
U.S. Representative Tammy Baldwin
U.S. Representative Judy Biggert
U.S. Representative Diane Black
U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn
U.S. Representative Mary Bono Mack
U.S. Representative Corrine Brown
U.S. Representative Ann Marie Buerkle
U.S. Representative Shelley Moore Capito
U.S. Representative Lois Capps
U.S. Representative Yvette D. Clarke
U.S. Representative Judy Chu
U.S. Representative Susan A. Davis
U.S. Representative Diana DeGette
U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro
U.S. Representative Donna Edwards
U.S. Representative Renee Ellmers
U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson
U.S. Representative Anna G. Eshoo
U.S. Representative Kay Granger
U.S. Representative Nan Hayworth
U.S. Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler
U.S. Representative Mazie K. Hirono
U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee
U.S. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson
U.S. Representative Barbara Lee
U.S. Representative Zoe Lofgren
U.S. Representative Cynthia M. Lummis
U.S. Representative Carolyn B. Maloney