It’s 4:05 central time and we are on our way back to Nashville. We have slept most of the morning because we didn’t really sleep in DC. I mean, who can sleep when so many excited things are going on? Last night the ball was fun. The kids definitely had more fun than me because I was sleepy by 10:30. I am not as young as I used to be and that was way past my bedtime. As you can see on the pictures they looked absolutely fabulous in their ball attire. It was fun watching Precious and Kerry teach Joel how to 2- step and watching Eric get excited about the ice cream.

If you have been reading our blogs you can see how much we enjoyed our time in DC as well as enjoyed each other’s company. Each person had something unique to offer to the group to make it special. They have forged a bond through this historical week. We took four kids that had never met and watched them grow into friends in four days. I look at the progress they have made and am proud to have shared in this moment with them. Also when you look at the blogs you can see each kid come out of their shell and become more comfortable with each other and themselves. I believe we all learned something about ourselves this week.

I will replay each of the special moments we shared in my mind often as this has been the most memorable trip ever. As we return home and the kids are debating whether they want to go to school tomorrow we are still filled with excitement about what we witnessed first hand. I can’t wait to tell my nephews, godson, and the kids in USSAA about my trip. I am forever grateful that the Stafford Foundation wanted regular folks to experience an inauguration and that Rep. Brenda Gilmore wanted our YMCA to be represented. I hope you have enjoyed reading about our trip as much as we enjoyed telling you about it.

Shavicka

In the beginning of this trip I had a vision in my mind that this trip was going to be fun and cool. It turned out to be a breath taking experience. As soon as we arrived at the hotel we were stunned to see the huge crown that stood around the streets. When we stepped inside the lobby we saw a huge presidential seal. All we did that day was check in and sleep. The second day was about praying to God at the breakfast and honoring Dr. King at the luncheon. We saw Martin Luther King III and saw many cool entertainers but the one that stands out the most is Ken Ford. We went sightseeing at the Washington Monument and the World War II Memorial. We tried to go to the Lincoln Memorial but it was full and the line was the longest I have ever seen. On inauguration day we watched the swearing in of President Obama and watched the parade from our room. We took cool videos of the President’s motorcade and Vice President walking. I needed some help getting ready for the ball because I had never worn a suit before. Kerry and Eric helped with my cuff links and tie. The ball was fun but watching Ken Ford perform was great! We are on our way back to Nashville (home of the Titans). It is time to share this excitement with our family, friends, and even strangers.

Joel

I couldn’t have asked for more memorable trip than this. I just want to thank everyone who made this experience happen for me. Because of your generous heart, I was able to be a part of history. I have enjoyed the trip since I got on the bus! The people were great and kind. I really enjoyed being with the other kids and Ms. Shavicka because they are HILARIOUS!!! The most memorable moment was inauguration day. It was exciting the second I woke up, including the hour wait on the boys. Ms. Shavicka and I seemed to manage to occupy our time anyhow. The inauguration day is the most memorable day because it is history. Second, I will be able to tell my family I was apart of the event. Thirdly, because I had an extravagant time the whole day. We watched the parade from the inside of the hotel. That was the best place for us to be because we were in the heat and we could see everything. Whereas others were in the cold freezing for eight hours. It was even cooler to see the snipers on top of the building ready to protect the president. I went back down memory lane as I saw the bands coming. I was soooo squeamish at the size of the Florida A&M band. (My guidance counselor wants to go there.) It was good to see the University of Tennessee band representing Tennessee. It was only right for me to learn Rocky Top since the band was playing so the ladies on the bus taught us on the way. After the parade, we got ready for the ball. Together we looked like kings and queens. The ball was a lot of fun. After begging Joel to show us how to dance, he finally danced with me to a Chris Brown song. Once we got through dancing at the ball and the prizes were given (we didn’t win Wizards tickers or the IPod touch). Fortunately, the excitement didn’t end there. We had special performances at the ball including Miss America 2004 being our Mistress of Ceremony and Ken Ford, the violinist. His performance was good but he didn’t play how he wanted because of technical difficulties. Joel even got a picture with him! We got a huge kick out of this lady selling wristbands n the street. She was so hilarious we almost bought some. The whole trip was phemonal and full of surprises including Shirley Caesar performing. All the performances and speeches were beyond excellent.

Precious

I think this is going to become the most memorable experience of my life. I am going to be telling my grandkids about this. There are very few things in life that everyone remembers and most of them are tragic; Kennedy, Columbia Space Shuttle, September 11. However, this is the first joyous event of such magnitude in my lifetime. How much can America progress in my lifetime? I do not know but I do know that this whole experience has shown me great promise for the future. This was one of the most fun trips I have ever been on. Joel, Precious, Eric and I are all good friends and we have not had any problems with each other. They are funny in their own way so being in DC was more fun with them around. The very first day we arrived I was super excited and had very high expectations. They were all met! The hotel was incredibly nice despite the awkward elevator system. Our room was also very comfortable. Joel and Eric were good roommates. Nobody was annoyed by each other’s clutter because we were all sort of messy. The Prayer Breakfast and Martin Luther King Jr. Luncheon were each memorable experiences within themselves. The breakfast highlights for me were Pastor/ Singer Shirley Caesar’s song selections coupled with her five minute mini-sermons. It caught my attention because her messages were directed towards shaping the youth instead of speaking about how far America has come like everyone else. The luncheon was too good to have just one highlight. The most impressive factor to me was that majority of the presenters were teenagers. Sightseeing was as exciting as it could be at a little over 20 degrees outside. We saw and touched the Washington Monument and got really close to the Lincoln Memorial. However, due to construction, long lines, and low sunlight (so cold I was crying) we left. The inauguration was the next day and even at 5 a.m. you could tell that the energy was different. The atmosphere was hopeful, energetic, and anticipatory, like Christmas. And for some of the older people it was a long awaited Christmas after many slow years. The streets were crowded the hotel was packed and police were everywhere. People were even cheering on the television and one lady started crying. In terms of the actual inauguration, I thought that it was pretty well planned and held my attention. I say this because a lot of official government ceremonies seem long and do not. I got really good pictures. The Youth Ball was really fun it was on the 12^th floor and everybody was really excited. So for all the good and historic reasons, it was a trip I will never forget.

Kerry

Well, we are on our way home. I’ve had so much fun this past week. There were so many important events on this trip. The most important part of our trip is pretty obvious. We watched the inauguration of our very first black president, none other than President Barack Obama. Yes we did! I think this victory has opened up so many opportunities for black youth like me. We can all look at Barack Obama and say, “Yes we can achieve all of our goals in life.” Of course the Prayer Breakfast and Martin Luther King Luncheon were very important. These two programs were the major showcases for the Stafford Foundation. I will never forget these programs for as long as I live. I recited Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech at the Pre-Teen Youth Inaugural Ball. I then turned around and I went to the Teen Youth Ball. This was incredible. It was my first experience with going to a ball. And if I do say so myself, I looked sharp. I met so many important people such as; Earl Stafford Jr. and Earl Stafford Sr. I met Martin Luther King III. Actually, I got to have a picture taken with him and got his autograph. We went site seeing and saw a lot of important monuments. We even stumbled across Barack Obama’s motorcade. It was so amazing! Even better, I got to blog for the first time. So to conclude, I hope that you enjoyed reading my blogs. I know that I had fun writing. This was definitely the experience of a lifetime.

Eric

I believe the world stood still today at this moment ...

This is what I was thinking at 11:55 until President Elect Obama was sworn in as the President of the United States. The kids didn’t say this but we weren’t at the inauguration. We weren’t able to get our personal information to security in time for clearance, so we actually watched the inauguration from our wonderful hotel. It wasn’t really a problem because we watched it on really nice televisions with everyone else at our hotel. There are many things I will remember but I think I will remember the roar of the crowds when Obama was introduced to the audience. Also, when he was sworn in, everyone stood up and started clapping and cheering. You would have thought we were at the Titans-Ravens game a couple weeks ago. (Sorry Titans fans!) Instead we were witnessing one of the most historical moments in our life times. When the crowd was told to stand for the actual swearing in people at the hotel stood, too. The police officers took off their hats and everything. There are two people that stand out in my mind during the ceremonies. There was an older African American woman crying from the moment the ceremony started until it was over. I could only imagine what she has seen in her lifetime and what she was thinking of at that exact moment. She made me think of my grandmother who passed in June. She could care less about politics but other people’s victories were her own. There was also a young Caucasian American that was there to cover the day. She cried as soon as Pres. Obama was sworn in and didn’t stop until she had to leave. I really think she forgot she was there to get a story. It was a very personal moment for her. My morning was exciting. I am forever grateful to everyone who made this day possible. To all those who fought for civil rights, for democracy, for the opportunity to pursue our goals whatever they may be.

Shavicka

I loved watching the Inauguration. Many people gathered in front of our nation’s capital to see our new President Barack Hussein Obama. When Barack appeared on the steps, the crowds in the hotel and in front of the Capitol erupted in applause. Aretha Franklin was introduced and she sang “My Country tis of Thee.” She composed her own arrangement and it sounded great. Then John Paul Stevens, the oldest judge on the Supreme Court came out. There was minimal applause for him. The big time came after that. Barack Obama got up to be sworn in. Actually, he was already the president. The Constitution says that the President Elect is official at 12 even if he hadn’t been sworn in. Everyone stood up for President Obama. Mr. Obama took oath and he actually had trouble remembering the words. After he was sworn in, he made his speech. He made a lot of good points. He referenced the Civil Rights Movements. He said that we will destroy those who want to destroy the world. The most important thing he said was a man like his father, who 60 years ago would not be served coffee at a lunch counter, and now we have a new Black president!

Eric

The Inauguration was sooo exciting! I got some good pictures and the energy was great! Even though everyone was silent when he spoke we were all in agreement. Aretha Franklin sang “My country tis of thee,” and did a fabulous job. The parade is starting soon but I am not sure how long it is going to be. I hope it is as exciting as the inauguration because that was even better than I expected. I imagined it to be long and drawn out but it was relatively quick and precise. Now, I just can’t wait for the Youth Ball.

Kerry

The inauguration was so cool. There were a lot of people there. We sang the National Anthem with so much pride. The music was great; Yo-Yo Ma and the other musicians were playing music by John Williams. I think I would prefer Ken Ford to play in my inauguration if I want to become president one day. I couldn’t believe how many people were there! There were so many people at the National Mall this morning. To think that I was there the night before is exciting because I stood where history was made. People were even walking across the Reflection Pool. I hear MTV might be recording at the Youth Ball, I really hope it is ours!

Joel

Today started out okay. Kerry and I woke up around 9 a.m. Eric was already up because he studied this morning. We got a call from Ms. Shavicka saying that we need to get ready. I thought we were going to wake up at 10:30 but apparently they wanted to go out and walk around. I had to iron my clothes for the Inauguration Ball tonight. When we finally went to the lobby it was packed. Cops and people were everywhere especially by the Starbucks. Shavicka and Precious went outside without us so we got some breakfast. Now we are watching the inauguration on a plasma TV. This is fun!

Joel

I am having so much fun up here this week. The best part about all of this is that I am making contacts. I am adding a little from last night because I was really tired last night. We walked the streets of Washington D.C. We saw the Washington Monument, World War II Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and glimpses of the White House. These monuments are really fun to see. The crowds outside yesterday were nothing compared to today. When I came down at 5:00 am this morning to study, tons of police officers started swamping the hotel. The checkpoint is right outside our hotel. Sometimes it is really sad to think that so much security is needed for this inauguration. So many people don’t want Barack Obama to be the President of the United States of America. Therefore, they had to make D.C. a huge police department. There are sharpshooters everywhere. The good part about all of this is that the government really seems to have stepped up their game. Even more amazing is the fact that there were people heading outside to get a good spot. It is very cold outside. Then as the sun continued to come up more people came outside. The hotel has a camera outside of the hotel. You can see this camera on the television in your room. This is a great spot to be in! I am sitting in history right now; this is amazing to be able to see everyone here. We are finally seeing a president with darker skin. I am so excited.

Eric

This morning has been crazy!!! We woke up and had to get dressed in a hurry, since we slept in. The lobby has been crazy since about 6:00 a.m. There are so many police officers here and a lot of them are sitting at Starbucks. People are taking pictures and making their plans for the big day. I’m going to get so many pictures and I can’t wait until the parade afterwards. We are going to watch the parade from the rooftop from the hotel. I heard the Youth Ball may be filmed on MTV!

Kerry

There aren’t many words to describe this right now. It’s totally crazy!!!! I woke up around 6:30 and the street was full of people lining up for the parade. Not the actual swearing in, but the parade. Precious and I watched outside for about 20 minutes and we couldn’t contain ourselves anymore so we came downstairs to the lobby. It was packed. People are everywhere; standing around, going to breakfast, or trying to figure out how to get to Pennsylvania Ave. (I know the hotel is on Pennsylvania but it’s all blocked off.) Precious and I went outside because I just had to feel the emotions from the crowd. Everybody is really cool. Nobody complaining about the cold temperature, long lines, or long walks. We all are just excited to be here. We are watching CNN with the rest of the country that’s not outside. The rooftop is supposed to be open really soon!!! Oh yeah, there are so many police here. We have seen police from Seattle, Washington, the state police of Utah, the New Jersey state police, and from a Georgia sheriff’s department. I have so many emotions right now; I am excited, anxious, and proud. All of these emotions are ready to explode. I have so much energy right now the kids think I’m crazy. I will cherish this moment forever.

These are some thoughts I jotted down last night before I went to sleep….

My 12^th grade English teacher (Mrs. Willis) told us we only have about 10 momentous occasions in our life. We will have some really great days but few that you will carry with you for a lifetime. I believe this inauguration may be one of my ten. I think this because this occasion impacts not only my life but everybody. This is the past, present, and future coming together as one. There are people here who fought to correct injustices during the civil rights movement, people who enjoy the benefits of those struggles (me), and little ones that are excited but haven’t the slightest idea why. I think about the elders that paved the way who are filled with joy and pride. I think about myself and question, “How can I impact my world?” Today’s inauguration is not only a government event; it is a symbol of hope and change. It is the potential to strive toward greatness. Why else would millions make the journey to D.C. to get a glimpse of a man? It’s no longer about a man this is about our destiny to be great! How great it is that we can experience this hands on?

Shavicka

This morning I woke up at 8:30 and was surprised to see at least 100,000 people outside for the parade. The parade doesn’t start until 2, so those people got a while to wait. We got dressed around 9 something, so we could just go outside and see the crowd. Shavicka called the boys and told them to be ready in 30 minutes. As usual Shavicka and I waited for them in the lobby. Soooooo an hour went by and I decided to go see why they hadn’t came down. To my surprise they were still getting ready, so Shavicka and I went outside without them! We saw a long line of people waiting to get through this tent so they could be a part of the parade. On our way back, we saw him—Barack Obama! And we got a picture with him! Well, actually, we got our picture with a cardboard cutout of him! When we got back to the hotel, the boys still weren’t ready. I chatted with a policeman from Seattle. He said he had been here since 3:00 am this morning and had been outside since 5:00 this morning. He mentioned that his toes were frozen with the tool socks on. He had come in for a 20 minute break and was heading back out in 5 minutes. My morning has been great thus far! It is much colder than yesterday outside, but I shall live. Chow for now!

Precious

This morning started off really early! The early start was well worth it. The prayer breakfast was absolutely wonderful. I was pleasantly surprised to find out Pastor Shirley Caesar would sing during the program. She came in and was phenomenal. Her second song was after the speaker and she ran over her time singing with The People's Choir. There was also a harpist, Jeff Majors. He was graceful and I could feel his passion from his music. There have been a lot of correlations to Dr. King's life and Barack Obama. We are reminded how Dr. King's life and sacrifices have paved the way for not only Barack Obama but for us all. We were reminded to live a life of service and love. To give of ourselves so that we can make others better. I am proud to be apart of events that carry great meaning and relevance to people's lives including my own. I don't think right now I am able to fully appreciate my spot in history but I am soaking all the emotions and words so that I will never forget. It is now my responsibility to share my story so that others will be uplifted and inspired just as I am.

Shavicka

WOW! How exciting! I’m blogging for the first time! This morning I got up and studied again in the hotel lobby. By the way, the hotel is huge! The lobby includes a full sized Starbucks. Then when you go down the elevator, you get to the ballrooms. The most confusing part of all of this is the elevators. There are 6 elevators lettered A-F. However, instead of having up and down arrows, there are number keys. You are supposed to push the number of the floor that you are going to. Then the key tells you which elevator to proceed to. Well, when our group got to the elevator last night we didn't see the number keys. Therefore, we got on the elevator and were confused when there were no floor options. So Joel started yelling out floor options at the elevator. Temporarily, that worked really well. Two of the three floors that we went to were the right floors! Precious and Ms. Shavicka rode the elevator for 10 minutes. After that we figured out how to work the floors, and the rooms are very nice!

And I met Earl Stafford Jr.! He said I impressed him so much that he took me to meet his father, Earl Stafford Sr., who is responsible for putting the People's Inaugural Project together. I also met Mr. Ralph B. Everett, the president and CEO of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies—to top it all off, I got to take a picture with him and I got his business card. I am making so many new contacts!

Eric

Today, Joel woke me up at 4:36 AM! I couldn't hear the alarm when it went off so he woke me up instead. We had to be in the lobby at 6 but we ran a couple of minutes late. Anyway, things went a lot better at breakfast. Everything was very nice and the tribute speakers were very passionate about their cause. Among these were a Rabbi, the Ambassador of Korea and Pastor Shirley Ceasar. They showed us a powerful slideshow in honor of Barack Obama's victory. Everything is great and so much better than expected. I'm getting great pictures.

Kerry

We woke up today around 4:30 because we had to get ready for the prayer breakfast. It started out alright except we decided to go and take the stairs instead of the elevator. We went all the way down just to find out there is no entrance so we ended up having to take the elevator anyway. Even though we lost time going up and down and up and down the stairs we were the first group to arrive at the breakfast. Security let us in early to watch the choir rehearse.

The prayer was inspirational and they showed a great slideshow! We got in line to get our wristbands to go to the luncheon and along the way Kerry wondered away but didn’t get too far! I really want to leave the hotel, though and visit the monuments. And hopefully tomorrow we won't have to wake up soooooo early.

Joel

WOW! How exciting! I’m blogging for the first time! This morning I got up and studied again in the hotel lobby. By the way, the hotel is huge! The lobby includes a full sized Starbucks. Then when you go down the elevator, you get to the ballrooms. The most confusing part of all of this is the elevators. There are 6 elevators lettered A-F. However, instead of having up and down arrows, there are number keys. You are supposed to push the number of the floor that you are going to. Then the key tells you which elevator to proceed to. Well, when our group got to the elevator last night we didn't see the number keys. Therefore, we got on the elevator and were confused when there were no floor options. So Joel started yelling out floor options at the elevator. Temporarily, that worked really well. Two of the three floors that we went to were the right floors! Precious and Ms. Shavicka rode the elevator for 10 minutes. After that we figured out how to work the floors, and the rooms are very nice!

And I met Earl Stafford Jr.! He said I impressed him so much that he took me to meet his father, Earl Stafford Sr., who is responsible for putting the People's Inaugural Project together. I also met Mr. Ralph B. Everett, the president and CEO of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies—to top it all off, I got to take a picture with him and I got his business card. I am making so many new contacts!

Eric

Everything has been good so far except for the fact that I am sleeping on a roll-away bed! There was some confusion with the number of guests and the number of rooms, but oh well! I will get over it! My morning went good; Ms. Shavicka and I had to wait on the boys while they played hide go seek on the stairs! J. The food at breakfast was okay, but the entertainment was even better! It was well put together and inspiring. In a little while we are going to the luncheon that will honor Dr. King and Barack Obama. After the lunch, we will go site seeing. Then we will return tonight and it’s back to my roll away bed!

Precious

We're Here!

This morning was sort of a blur to me. It was really early and the anticipation was in the air. We boarded our bus and quickly went to sleep. About 6:30, we stopped at a truck stop and stayed for 3 hours. I mean how does the most important road trip of our lives have such a huge hitch. After we ate breakfast, and waited we eventually got back on the road. On the bus we all introduced ourselves and who we were associated with. We were really proud to say we represented the YMCA of Middle of Tennessee. Our kids are the only youth on the bus! There is a lady on our bus that was denied the opportunity to attend the March on Washington and she feels this is her opportunity to make up that moment, as if her life has come full circle. We pulled onto Pennsylvania Ave. and the entire bus filled with excitement again. The lights and action was ready for our shining moment. Our hotel is AMAZING!!! We will send pictures tomorrow because words can't describe its beauty. I'm excited about our day tomorrow and I can't wait to see Eric give the "I Have a Dream" speech. We are looking forward to sight seeing and soaking all of the sights and sounds Washington D.C. and the inauguration has to offer.

Shavicka

Nashville Teens Attend Inauguration

Government officials expect the inauguration of the nation’s 44^th president, Barack Obama, to draw record-breaking crowds and four Nashville teenagers won’t be watching from a classroom television; they’ll be there. Thanks to a Virginia businessman’s foundation, they’re getting a once in a lifetime opportunity to see first-hand the swearing-in of the nation’s first African-American President.

When the J.W. Marriott Hotel advertised a ‘build your own ball’ package priced at $1 Million, Virginia businessman Earl Stafford bought it with a vision for bringing people who might otherwise never see a Presidential inauguration to the nation’s capitol. The Stafford Foundation is footing the bill for some 1,000 terminally ill patients, disadvantaged people, wounded soldiers, youth and others to take part in the historic event. The Marriott package Stafford bought includes lodging, two inaugural balls (one for adults, one for youth), food, amenities and a tent-covered roof-top view of the parade route for Tuesday’s inauguration.

The foundation worked with a number of other organizations and individuals over the last two months as part of a nationwide recruiting effort to identify people to take part. State Representative Brenda Gilmore (D-TN 54) helped to organize a group from Tennessee. Among those invited to attend are four teen participants in YMCA programs here in Nashville. They, along with a YMCA staff person, will board a bus filled with other Tennesseans in the wee hours of Sunday morning to make the trip to D.C.

Shavicka Newsom, director of the YMCA Urban Services School of Academics and Athletics, will travel with teens Kerry Baines, Precious Smith, Joel Najera and Eric Robinson. Baines is a student at Hume-Fogg Academic High School and participates in programs operated by the YMCA Center for Civic Engagement. Precious Smith attends Stratford High School and is a participant in programs at the Y-CAP YMCA in East Nashville. Joel Najera is a student at Glencliff High School and a participant in the YMCA Hispanic Achievers Program. Eric Robinson Ensworth High School and participates in the YMCA Black Achievers program.