Stories of inspiration from Jenna Bush Hager

VAN WERT — Her pedigree is political, but its stories of inspiration, not politics, that Jenna Bush Hager, daughter of former President George W. Bush will discuss Tuesday when she comes to Niswonger Performing Arts Center.

“She will talk about making a difference in the world, and the power of compassion,” said Cheri Oechsle, marketing director for Niswonger.

A teacher by trade, her stories come primarily from her 2006 visit to drought-stricken Paraguay as an intern for UNICEF. From her work there, she wrote “Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope.” That New York Times bestseller was based on the life of a 17-year-old single mother living with HIV and determined to make a better life for herself.

A limited number of autographed copies of the book will be available on Tuesday.

Hager's portion of the proceeds from the book were split between UNICEF and the woman on whose life the book was based. Today, Hager remains active in UNICEF, chairing the Next Generation initiative in helping to reduce preventable childhood deaths around the world.

She is also a contributing correspondent for NBC's “Today Show.”

“We're thrilled to have Jenna Bush Hager come here. It's good to hear a quality message from a quality speaker come to our area,” Oechsle said.

Hager is part of the two-year-old speaker series initiated by Niswonger.

“Our mission is to educate, inspire and entertain. Along with some great concerts we provide to entertain, our speaker series has been more of the hands-on inspiration and education portion of our mission,” Oechsle said.

Following the speech, Hager will take questions from the crowd.