Kari Gaudet
Kari Gaudet, owner and lead designer at The Flower Place on Major Drive in Beaumont was recently honored to represent Southeast Texas as one of only 25 floral designers selected nationwide to participate in the 112th Congressional Club’s First Lady’s Luncheon on April 9 in Washington, D.C. to honor First Lady Melania Trump.
This year’s bipartisan event, chaired by Mrs. Jane Mrvan, wife of Indiana Congressman Frank Mrvan, was themed “Sand and Steel: Where Nature and Industry Meet.” Inspired by the contrast of Indiana Dunes National Park and the steel mills lining Lake Michigan, the theme celebrated the harmony between preservation and progress.
“The Indiana dunes, with their shifting sands and rare ecosystems, stand as a testament to nature’s resilience and beauty,” wrote Mrs. Mrvan in her welcome letter. “Just beyond, the steel mills rise — symbols of strength, industry, and progress…a story of balance.”
The First Lady’s Luncheon is a deeply rooted Washington tradition, established in 1912 and hosted annually by the Congressional Club Museum and Foundation, a nonprofit organization chartered by Congress in 1908.
The club is composed of spouses of current and former members of Congress, U.S. Supreme Court and the President’s Cabinet. It is committed to promoting volunteerism, supporting charitable causes, preserving congressional history, and fostering bipartisan fellowship.
This year’s luncheon benefited two organizations: Flair Haven Rape Crisis Center and the National Park Trust, continuing the club’s tradition of giving back through its 501(c)(3) foundation.
Gaudet was invited to join the design team under the artistic direction of Renee Tucci AIFD, and through the support of Certified American Grown (CAG) — an organization dedicated to promoting U.S.-grown flowers and foliage.
CAG has long sponsored floral installations for the First Lady’s Luncheon and advocates for the inclusion of American-grown flowers in the White House and at national landmarks such as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
“To be selected for this team was an absolute career highlight,” said Gaudet. “Working alongside such talented designers in our nation’s capital, honoring both nature and industry through flowers, and contributing to a tradition that is both beautiful and bipartisan — it was truly unforgettable.”
For more information about The Flower Place or Gaudet’s work, visit www.kodesignsfloral.com or follow on social media @theflowerplacebeaumont.
