No Limitations at the Friends and Family Children's Museum Luncheon with Jen Bricker

Each year at the Children’s Museum Luncheon there is a significant effort to bring an inspiring speaker. This year they certainly out did themselves. For me it meant tears of joy to meet an inspirational woman who lives by the term ‘Anything is Possible’. LCAHouston was honored to have had the chance to hear and meet gymnast turned motivational speaker Jen Bricker at the Children’s Museum of Houston’s 2017 Friends and Families Luncheon. Hosted at the River Oaks Country Club on March 1st, 2017, the event raised over $166,000 for the Museum’s early childhood and parenting programs.

Jen Bricker’s inspirational story is an amazing mix of determination, genetics, coincidence, and fate. Born without legs, Jen was abandoned at the hospital at birth, and was fortunately adopted by two loving parents who instilled in her the belief that nothing was out of reach. Jen quickly learned that she had a gift for sports, and in particular, gymnastics. Her idol, Olympic Gymnast Dominique Moceanu, served as her inspiration. In an unbelievable twist of fate, Jen later learned that Dominique was in fact, her biological older sister. Jen has come to understand that it is not just rising above one’s circumstances that is critical to success, but also that it’s the very challenges and resulting journey in life that truly defines a person. Jen doesn’t bemoan her disability, she instead owns it because it helped her become the person she is. That is her message as a motivational speaker, and what a powerful message it is.

The Luncheon program supports the Museum’s mission to help the community through parenting programs, which focus on building parenting skills, providing information on child development and engaging families in the joy of learning together.

Chairs Rachel Regan, Millette Sherman, and Michelle Smith did a wonderful job pulling it all together and set up a great auction to benefit the cause.

Spotted at the luncheon: Gina Gaston emcee for the luncheon, Dr. Sippi Khurana, Tammy Tran Nguyen, Farida Abjani, Naureen Malik, Munira Panjwani, Nancy Almodovar, Rishma Visram Mohammed, Roseann Rogers, Lara Bell, Ursaline Hamilton, Kym Jackson, and many others.