Stafford Giving Underserved a First-Class Experience in D.C.

By: Jackie Jones

People of all races and means will gather in Washington next week to witness the swearing-in of Barack Obama as president of the United States. But, as is the custom with most inaugurations, people of high office and especially high means are usually the ones who get an up-close opportunity to witness the induction of a new head of state.

For this especially historic occasion, however, Earl Stafford decided the rich and powerful shouldn’t be the only ones to have all the fun.

The Virginia businessman quickly snatched up a $1 million-plus inauguration hotel package at the J.W. Marriott, just blocks from the White House, that provided 300 rooms, four suites, $200,000 worth of food and drink, two balls and one of the best views of the Pennsylvania Avenue parade route on Inauguration Day.

The gesture was made all the more amazing considering that event tickets are being hawked at outlandish prices on e-Bay (i.e. $25 parade tickets going for $1,500) and hotel rooms and packages ranging from hundreds per night to thousands of dollars and Washington area residents cashing in on the demand for lodging by renting their homes and, in some cases, rooms and floor space for a couple of thousand dollars based on a minimum three-night stay.

After he bought the package, Stafford’s philanthropic Stafford Foundation then formed a coalition with number of partners, including the National Urban League and the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, to set up a criteria to select people from a variety of economic and social backgrounds who would be brought to Washington to partake in the Inaugural events.

Stafford Giving Underserved a First-Class Experience in D.C.....