As a wife and mother, Patricia Blagojevich brings firsthand experience and personal commitment to her strong advocacy on behalf of the women and children of Illinois. As First Lady, she works hard to promote initiatives that will help the families of Illinois bring up happy, healthy, and successful children.

Throughout her husband's administration, Mrs. Blagojevich has been involved in making Illinois more responsive to the needs of families. She has tirelessly worked to raise awareness throughout the state on important health issues, such as breast cancer, heart disease and food allergies.

In 2005 Illinois became the first state in the nation to offer affordable, comprehensive health insurance for every uninsured child through the All Kids Health Insurance Program. Mrs. Blagojevich, an outspoken advocate on behalf of the women and children of Illinois served as a spokesperson and key partner for All Kids, working with schools and hospitals across the state to pre-register families in this landmark program.

Mrs. Blagojevich's commitment to children's health also extends to raising awareness of childhood vision disorders. Launched in 2004, the First Lady's Illinois Pediatric Vision Initiative has reached out to parents, doctors, teachers and local health departments across the state to educate communities on preventable eye diseases, focusing specifically on Amblyopia (also known as “lazy eye.”). Lazy eye is the leading cause of permanent vision loss in children.

As a proponent of early childhood literacy, First Lady Patricia Blagojevich has striven to encourage families to embrace literature as an essential element of a healthy and successful childhood, through her Children's Reading Club. Selections, based on books Mrs. Blagojevich enjoys with her two daughters, have included The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner, and A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein. The latest selection, "Backyard Giants: The Passionate, Heartbreaking, and Glorious Quest to Grow the Biggest Pumpkin Ever" by Susan Warren coincides with Mrs. Blagojevich’s passion for gardening and is geared to bridge the gap between teens and adults that love gardening as well.

Mrs. Blagojevich has brought her love of gardening to the State of Illinois by creating the State Beautification Initiative. Through this initiative, thousands of native wildflowers have been planted along state roadways, adding beauty to residents' everyday commutes while creating a new tourist attraction for visitors to Illinois. Along with Garden Clubs of Illinois, Mrs. Blagojevich dedicated a Blue Star Memorial to honor all U.S. Armed Forces and to help beautify and preserve the Illinois State Highways.