Organizing for America | Laurin Manning's Blog: Michelle, Malia, and Sasha Land in Denver

Michelle, Malia, and Sasha Land in Denver

By Laurin Manning - Aug 24th, 2008 at 10:31 pm EDT

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Greetings from Denver, Colorado! For the next five days, we'll be sharing the latest from the 2008 Democratic National Convention right here on the national campaign blog.

This afternoon three Obamas - Michelle, Malia, and Sasha - touched down on a scorching tarmac at Denver International Airport, where they were greeted by a crew that included Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, First Lady Jeannie Ritter, their daughter Tally, several first-time delegates, and - in recognition of the upcoming National Delegate Service Day - volunteers from service organizations.

As Michelle exchanged hugs with members of the group, the kids connected as well. Tally Ritter presented Malia and Sasha with their very own Colorado Rockies jerseys and welcomed the girls to Colorado.

Check out video footage from the tarmac below, and stay tuned for further updates from here in Denver.

Click here to read about the volunteer leaders.

Isabel Campos, Teach For America
Isabel Campos, who hails from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, is a 2007 Denver Teach for America corps member, currently teaching English Language Acquisition for grades 6-11 at Bruce Randolph School in Northeast Denver. Feeling right at home in an inner city school with similar demographics to that of her high school alma mater, Campos dedicates her time and energy to making a positive impact in the lives of her students, and plans to continue her career in education after her two year commitment to Teach for America and complete her graduate degree in Curriculum & Pedagogy with an emphasis on urban education through the University of Colorado at Denver.

Margrette Castro, Public Allies
Margrette Castro, Regional Director for Public Allies, Inc., has been in the not for profit sector for over 10 years both in the U.S. and abroad. Prior to being a Regional Director, Margrette served as the Site Director for the Public Allies Fellowship Program at Eagle Rock School and Professional Development Center working with young adults interested in community leadership, education, and youth development. Castro has also worked in education and community development overseas.

Debra Haaland, New Mexico Delegate
Debra Haaland has been extremely involved in the Obama campaign, and has been especially active in the campaign's voter registration efforts, including volunteering her time to obtain her voter registration certification.

Ann Hadfield, Pennsylvania Delegate
A lifelong Democrat, Ann Hadfield, 82 cast her first vote in a presidential election for Harry Truman. She has been very active in the Obama campaign, canvassing and phone banking. She once snuck into the 1936 Democratic National Convention with her family.

Bryon Eagon, Wisconsin Delegate
Bryon Eagon, a student from Wisconsin, is a Students for Barack Obama leader for the state. He is currently enrolled at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and has led done grassroots organizing at high schools and universities across the state.

Erin Egan, Democrats Work
A graduate of Duke University and the University of Virginia, Erin began her professional career as an attorney, logging hundreds of hours on community-related pro bono projects, including election protection efforts in Broward County, Florida during the 2004 presidential election. Erin left the legal profession in 2006 to help launch Democrats Work where she now serves as the Colorado Director.

Vanessa Fenley, Metro Volunteers
Vanessa has served as a Citizen Action AmeriCorps member for the past year at Metro Volunteers in Denver, where she has since train hundreds of community volunteers in the Denver area. She joined AmeriCorps after completing her M.A. in Sociology at the University of Kansas in 2006, and her B.A. in Sociology and Organizational Communication at Missouri State University in 2004.

Mary Hanewall, "I Have A Dream" Foundation
Mary came to the Colorado "I Have A Dream"® Foundation in 2000. She brings to her position 22 years previous experience in the nonprofit arena working for local and national organizations including Girls Count, Denver Options, the Native American Rights Fund, and Planned Parenthood. Her background includes senior management in development and executive director positions, in addition to teaching fund raising in Regis University's Masters of Nonprofit Management program.

Megan Kline, Georgia Delegate
Megan is a student with disabilities from Georgia, who comes from a single parent family with two disabled children. She is a passionate disability rights advocate.

Alexandra Lee, Colorado AmeriCorps Alums
Alexandra served as a Citizen Action AmeriCorps member in 2006 at Metro Volunteers. Following her term of service, she became a full-time staff member for the organization. Alexandra is a graduate of the University of Colorado with a B.A. in Political Science. Her volunteer activities and associations include: Chair, Colorado Chapter of AmeriCorps Alums; Board Member, Young Philanthropists Foundation; Member Relations Committee Member, Young Nonprofit Professionals Network; Member, PRSA Colorado; Committee Member, Amnesty International; and many others.

Sara Spanier, College Summit
A graduate of University of Wisconsin - La Crosse (B.S. 2002), Sara came to College Summit Colorado through the AmeriCorps VISTA program in 2004. Before joining College Summit, Sara spent two years with the Minnesota Department of Health where she worked in the areas of community engagement strategies, socioeconomic policy recommendations and research and implementation of programs.

Jessica Benally, Mile high Youth Corps
Jessica Benally is a 21 year old Native American woman, originally from Arizona. After losing a parent at an early age, Jessica spent much of her childhood in boarding schools while her mother stayed on the reservation, and she struggled with drug abuse. In October of 2007, Jessica moved to Denver in order to find a new start. In the course of finding her way in Denver and this new life she was struggling to create, Jessica found Mile High Youth Corps (MHYC).

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