Nonpro t
BY ROO MOODY
Lifelong learning is alive at River Oaks institute Established in 1951, Rebecca and Dean Richardson founded The Women’s Institute of Houston, a nonpro t for women who “couldn’t really go out.” “They were at home staying with the kids, and they didn’t really have the opportunities to get out and do all these classes... so, a woman in River Oaks just decided that she’d had enough and she started her own lecture luncheons,” Communications Direc- tor Wendy Tull said. The framework Over time, the institute grew to o er a diverse range of classes to both genders. Classes typically see about 20-25 attendees and can cover almost any topic, including literature, history, religion and philosophy, but Executive Director Shea Hill said the current events and politics lectures tend to be the most popular, with sometimes more than 75 participants.
Communications Director Wendy Tull, left, and Executive Director Shea Hill.
ROO MOODY COMMUNITY IMPACT
Going forward At the institute, the participants tend to be those who have recently retired or are looking to keep their brains sharp, Hill said. However, Hill and Tull are looking for ways to bring in a younger demo- graphic as well. “A lot of socialization goes on here, maybe more so than in a traditional classroom setting,” Tull said. “It just feels like coming to somebody’s house and hanging out.” Classes at the institute vary in pricing from $40 per class to $360 per semester.
S A N F E L I P ES T .
AVALON PLACE
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2202 Avalon Place, Houston www.wih.org
HOUSTON’S HEALTHCARE SAFETY NET FOR 60 YEARS.
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COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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