Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly coming to Central Florida

Transforming tragedy into a commitment to each other

The Winter Park Institute at Rollins College (WPI) will host former Congresswoman Gabrielle “Gabby” Giffords and her husband, retired American astronaut, and U.S. Navy Captain Mark Kelly, on stage at the Warden Arena at the Alfond Sports Center April 4 at 7:30 p.m.

The lives of Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly became forever changed after the nearly fatal 2011 assassination attempt on her life. In the face of such devastating trauma, the couple has transformed adversity into an unwavering commitment to each other and a message of hope.

Giffords was a Congresswoman elected from Arizona's 8th District. She served from 2007 until her resignation in January of 2012 following an attempted assassination at a supermarket in Tucson in January of 2011. The only female elected official in the history of the United States to become the target of an assassination attempt, Giffords was just the third woman to be elected to Congress from the State of Arizona. She also served in the Arizona House of Representatives and Senate and was the CEO of her family's business. In March of 2014, Fortune magazine named Giffords one of the "World's 50 Greatest Leaders."

Giffords was shot at a Tucson supermarket in 2011.

Kelly was a U.S. Navy fighter pilot and flew 39 combat missions over Iraq and Kuwait during the first Gulf War. Kelly has spent more than 50 days in orbit and was the commander of Space Shuttle Endeavour in May of 2011 on its final flight. During his last space mission, his wife Gabby Giffords was recovering in a hospital in Houston, Texas. In 2011, Mark was featured on the cover of Esquire magazine and honored as one of the "Americans of the Year."

“We are honored to bring two national heroes, Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly, to the Central Florida community,” said Winter Park Institute Executive Director Gail Sinclair. “They have an inspiring and unforgettable story to share.”

For tickets or more information on the event, go here.

Launched in 2008, the Winter Park Institute at Rollins College is a center for intellectual engagement through public lectures, readings, symposiums, seminars, master classes, interviews and special-interest sessions. The Institute features discussions between Rollins College, the surrounding community and thought leaders from a broad spectrum of disciplines, including poet laureates and Pulitzer Prize-winning historians.

For more information on upcoming speakers, go here.