Originally published on 7/9/25

Following the devastating floods in Kerr County, Texas, that left over 100 people dead and at least 160 people missing, the former first-daughter-turned-Today with Jenna and Friends host Jenna Bush Hager is opening up about her connection to Camp Mystic, the beloved girls’ sleepaway camp that lost 27 campers and counsellors to the tragic natural disaster. We have her heartbreakingly candid statement below. 

Jenna Bush Hager’s personal connection to Camp Mystic 

During the Today show on Monday, July 7, Hager shared her personal connection to the Hunt, Texas-based camp with host Craig Melvin, revealing that her mother, former First Lady Laura Bush, had worked at Camp Mystic as a drama counselor when she was younger. 

“My mom was a counselor there, but also so many of my friends were raised at this camp,” Hager said tearfully. “Texas camps are institutions…where many family members—generations—this camp was 100 years old, so grandmothers, mothers, kids have all gone there.

Hager also recalled, “Many of my friends had their kids there last week” when the waters began to rise. 

“The stories that I heard over the last couple of days were beautiful and heartbreaking,” she said. “Texas has a type of resilience where they’re generous people, where people want to reach out and help.” 

One of those helpers was none other than the late Camp Mystic Owner Richard “Dick” Eastland, who died trying to save some of the campers from the flood. 

“That family, the Eastland family, is Texas royalty. They raised so many girls,” the journalist said. “So many of my friends said he was their summer father. He looked out for campers. He raised girls to be brave and loving. His legacy will live on.”

The ‘Today’ host on sending her own kids to camp in Texas

Before moving to the White House in Washington, D.C., Hager was born and raised in Dallas. And now, several years later, the state still holds a special place in a 43-year-old’s heart. In fact, she loves the state so much that she even sent her two daughters there for sleepaway camp earlier this month. 

“My kids actually got dropped off at camp yesterday at another camp in Texas, Hager told Dwyane Wade on Monday, July 7, during an episode of Today with Jenna and Friends. “Putting them on the bus, saying goodbye to them, and I know so many parents whose kids are at camp or going to camp feel that way, like you know we send our kids into the world with the faith that they can have happy lives, joyful lives and as adults we know pain. We hope that our kids never, ever face it. But you know, Texas is a resilient, incredible state.”

It turns out, though, that not every member of the Hager family was on board. Later in the episode of Today with Jenna and Friends, the TV host shared that her husband, Henry Chase Hager, was less than thrilled with sending their kids into the heat of the south for camp. 

“My husband said, ‘Why are we sending our kids to Texas to camp? It’s hot!’ And it’s because of the love that’s there,” Jenna Bush Hager explained. “Texas camps are really special because you’re thinking about 90-degree weather, no air conditioning.” 

If you or someone you know was affected by the Texas floods, please call 211 for information, resources and evacuation shelter details. For renters, homeowners and business owners hoping to receive small business administration (SBA) loans, call 800‐659‐2955. For information on how to help the victims, keep reading here.

Link to original: https://www.womansworld.com/entertainment/news/jenna-bush-hager-on-the-bush-familys-camp-mystic-legacy