2009 Easter Egg Roll at The White House

On Monday, April 13, 2009, eleven of the five thousand children who participated in the Annual Easter Egg Roll at the White House between the hours of 9:45 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. were children, grandchildren, or nieces and nephews of members
of the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice. This year’s Easter Egg Roll was aimed at promoting healthy, active lifestyles among the nation’s youth. The guests at the Easter Egg Roll were treated to musical performances by Fergie, Ziggy Marley and the D.C. Youth Orchestra, among others. 

The invitation to participate in the Annual Egg Roll was an unexpected and pleasant surprise for NABCJ. For the children and their parents, this was a most memorable occasion, and one that they will remember for many years to come.  Shortly after arriving at the White House for the morning activities, President Obama and the first family exited the White House to greet their many guests. Logan Botts, one of the youngsters who received tickets from NABCJ had the pleasure of shaking President Obama’s hand. You can only imagine how excited she was. It appears that she just happened to be standing at the right place at the right time. The President and the first family helped the children roll the eggs, after which President Obama read to the children. Not only were the children able to participate in the Easter Egg Roll, they were able to participate in a cooking demonstration. Dakiyah Anderson (granddaughter of Bea Anderson) had the opportunity to cook with Sasha Obama. She also had an opportunity to have her picture taken with Tom Joyner and his wife, Donna Richardson. The children were treated to a fun filled day with a variety of other activities. They were ecstatic when sharing who and what they had seen.
 

Tickets for the Easter Egg Roll were issued to 30,000 people from 45 states. For many who reside in the Washington area, they were overwhelmed at the opportunity to attend this annual event which was started in 1878 by President Rutherford B. Hayes.