Follow us on Instagram
Try our daily mini crossword
Play our latest news quiz
Download our new app on iOS/Android!

Bush Lauren '06 speaks to seniors at class event

Ben_Bush
Ben_Bush

Lauren Bush Lauren ’06 encouraged around 450 members of the Class of 2015 to become conscious consumers and maintain a fresh perspective on the world at a class dinner held on Sunday.

ADVERTISEMENT

“You all have so many fresh ideas that are untainted by the status quo and I would encourage you to go out into the world,” Lauren said. “Broaden your horizons and become advocates for the voiceless.”

The dinner was organized by the Class of 2015 Class Council and donations for the dinner were given to the FEED Foundation, a nonprofit that Lauren founded in 2007. FEED has provided almost 84 million meals to hungry children around the world through the sale of FEED tote bags and other products.

Seniors were asked to donate to FEED on the registration form for the dinner, and there were also donation boxes at the dinner. The event raised $600, according to an announcement during the event, or about $1.33 from each of the 450 attendees. The funds raised will provideabout 6,000 meals to children in the U.S. and around the world. Students were also able to donate after the event.

The original fundraising goal for the dinner was $2,015, according to an email sent by Class of 2015 president Jonathan Ma to the Class of 2015 last week. This money would have allowed them to fund 18,000 meals, the email read, triple the amount that they actually raised.

The dinner was funded by the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate students, as well as by the Class Council. The total amount remains unclear, but the Class Council paid $10 per person, or $4,500 for their share of the costs, according to Yeri Lee '15, one of the organizers of the event.

Lauren is the niece of former U.S. President George W. Bush and is married to David Lauren, the son of fashion designer Ralph Lauren. She started Fashion Speaks, a fashion show and service initiative for the Eden Institute, as a student 12 years ago.

ADVERTISEMENT

The dinner was funded by the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students, Ma said.

The purpose of the dinner was “to share a meal with the great Class of 2015 and to share a meal with the world itself,” Ma said.

Lauren, who graduated with a degree in anthropology, said that she was inspired to found FEED during her time at the University as an undergraduate, especially through her travels abroad. Through the University's senior thesis grant money, she said, she was able to travel to Africa, India and Latin America and see firsthand the realities of hunger and poverty that many people around the world face.

The dinner was held on Cannon Green at 5:30 p.m.

Subscribe
Get the best of ‘the Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

Clarification: This article has been updated to include that the $600 figure for money raised at the event was current at the time the event took place.