Earl Stafford Throws Inaugural Ball For Poor and Sick

This made my day.

CNN: Virginia businessman Earl Stafford has spent $1 million to give hundreds of poverty-stricken and terminally ill Americans, along with wounded men and women in uniform, an inauguration experience that won't cost them anything.

The zero-dollar price tag is even more shocking, considering that tickets to the inaugural events are going for hundreds of dollars, the city's remaining hotel rooms are edging into four-figure territory, and even basements and couches miles from the National Mall are going for a premium on Craigslist.

Tickets for the inauguration are distributed through members of Congress, and just 240,000 seats are available for the swearing-in ceremony. The tickets are supposed to be free, but with demand outpacing supply, some people have been trying to scalp tickets for thousands of dollars.
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His family's nonprofit foundation, the Stafford Foundation, is footing the bill for what it is calling the People's Inaugural Project, but it is also hoping to get money from sponsors.

Stafford said Thursday that he hopes the balcony terrace is filled "with those who are disadvantaged, those who are distressed, mingling with those who aren't so. And we hope to see on their faces a sense of excitement."

"I was inspired to do this by the Lord. ... It's not about us but about us helping other people," he said.

More on Earl at MSNBC, and Associated Content.
Stafford Foundation

List of all the balls and events

The day's events:

The day's events will include:
-- Prayer Breakfast on the morning of January 19, which will provide hope and prayer for our country, its financial stability, our troops in battle and especially President-elect Barack Obama.

-- Martin Luther King, Jr. Luncheon on the afternoon of January 19, which will celebrate the realization of Dr. Martin Luther King's inspirational vision.

-- The People's Inaugural Ball on the evening of January 20, which
will bring together citizens from all walks of life

-- The Inaugural Youth Ball on the evening of January 20, which will allow the next generation of Americans to celebrate this historic event.