On a More Inspiring Note

Thursday, December 4, 2008
I've been feeling a bit stabby the last few days for a variety of reasons, so today we're going to try and uplift the tone around here.

There's a man who lives in Fairfax, Virginia, who has done pretty well for himself. The son of a Baptist minister and a retired Air Force man, he now owns his own company, and established a family foundation to help those less fortunate than himself.

Meet Earl W. Stafford. His foundation has spent $1 million to reserve a large section of the Marriott in Washington, D.C., including 300 rooms, four suites and $200K of food and drink.

Instead of using all this space, he's going to give away the accommodations, including food, parties, and tuxedos and ball gowns, to ordinary folks from around the country, so that they might participate in "The People's Inauguration." He plans to invite members of the military, the disadvantaged, and the sick. He wants everyone to be able to participate in this slice of American history, and is working with other non-profits to make it happen.

So in mid-January, there will be at least some people who will be able to attend the festivities who aren't the cousin of a Congressman, or a celebrity, or a mover or a shaker. Some of the people there will be just ordinary Americans, who will witness this most profound event in our history.

It's not a huge thing. He's not saving the U.S. economy. He's not bailing out industries. But he's allowing people to participate in public life in a way they otherwise couldn't.

Pretty cool.

Bravo, Mr. Stafford.

8 comments:

Random Michelle K said...

Awesome.

Anonymous said...

Awesome fillet smothered in a delicate awesome sauce. With capers.

MWT said...

Awesome capers of awesomeness.

The Mechanicky Gal said...

Excellent anti-stabby post!

kimby said...

Well done Mr. Stafford!

Jeri said...

What a great guy! I need to find more *good* stories this month.

BriAnna Olson said...

Totally inspiring.

Janiece said...

Welcome, Lovevolutionarily.