Two years ago, HTHH hosted Mrs. Melinda Gates, co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, for two events in Nashville, Tennessee. We welcomed her as a guest speaker at both Belmont University for an event for the community, and we led a private gathering of faith leaders at a dinner where Amy Grant and Mrs. Gates discussed their passion for women’s health and empowerment from different perspectives.

This week, HTHH had the opportunity to lead a half day event at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle, Washington. Twenty national leaders in the Christian community, from a variety of backgrounds, traveled to the private event to learn more about the issues of maternal and child health, including healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies to save the lives of women and children; meet Mrs. Gates and discuss her passion for these issues of women’s health and empowerment; tour the foundation; and converse about strategies for success through collaboration and advocacy.

We were honored to host a variety of guests including Steve Bell, Lisa Bevere, Darwin J. Bruce, Nick Caine, Eugene Cho, Odell Dickerson, Jr., Michael Gerson, Steve Haas, Bill & Lynne Hybels, Serita Jakes, Elisa Morgan, Mark & Vickie Reddy, Dr. Gus Reyes, Rev. Gabriel Salguero, Jo Saxton, Cameron Strang, Elizabeth Styffe, and Bishop Walter Scott Thomas.

Our Executive Director, Jenny Eaton Dyer, PhD, directed the event with speakers from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, including Tom Walsh, Senior Program Officer of Global Policy and Advocacy and Porter DeLaney, founder of the Kyle House Group.