NCJW welcomes Hager as keynote speaker

Jenna Bush Hager

LIVINGSTON, NJ — The National Council of Jewish Women, Essex County Section announces its 2017 opening event featuring teacher, author and journalist Jenna Bush Hager, a contributing correspondent for NBC’s “Today.” The NCJW/Essex opening event will be Wednesday, Oct. 25, at 7:30 p.m. at Brooklake Country Club, 139 Brooklake Road in Florham Park. Her keynote address, “Celebrating Women Who Do Extraordinary Things,” will highlight how small change can make a large difference in a single person’s life.

In addition to NBC’s “Today,” Hager is editor for Southern Living magazine and chair of UNICEF’s Next Generation, which works toward reducing the number of preventable childhood deaths around the world. Hager has traveled throughout Latin America and the Caribbean with UNICEF, where she witnessed the plight faced by the underprivileged. By sharing uplifting stories of regular people doing extraordinary things, she shows how lives can be changed when provided with compassion, community support and educational opportunities.

Hager’s best-selling novel, “Ana’s Story: A Journey of Hope,” is based on a 17-year-old single mother with HIV who tries to shield her child from the pain and neglect she suffered as a child. In October, her new book of short stories, “Sisters First,” co-authored with her sister, Barbara Pierce Bush, will be released. Copies will be available at the NCJW/Essex opening event for purchase and signing.

“We are looking forward to kicking off the upcoming year with Jenna Bush Hager’s positive and uplifting message,” NCJW/Essex President Shari Harrison said in a press release. “I am confident that she will leave us with a renewed determination to continue working toward improving lives right here in our own communities.”

Attendees can register for the event by calling 973-740-0588 or visiting ncjwessex.org. The event is free for members, but charged for non-members.