A Night Out With the Obama's

It was such an honor to be invited to the White House for the Mexico State Dinner. I was incredibly impressed and appreciative that the First Lady made such a public expression of her message of inclusion. To include the nonprofit community at such a high profile event speaks volumes about her commitment to our work. What a privilege to be there with Maria from Mary’s Center and Scott from Miriam’s Kitchen.

I also am grateful to the incredible work of our families, clients, staff, volunteers, donors and other supporters whose success made the invitation possible.

The event itself was nothing short of magical. While waiting in the receiving line for President Obama and Mrs. Obama and President Calderon and Mrs. Zavala, we got to have a very nice chat with the couple in front of us, the Pelossi’s. Our dinner table included Gail King, Newark Mayor Cory Booker and Transportation Secretary LaHood and his wife. Everybody was incredibly nice and warm. My favorite part of dinner was the ceviche. My wife liked the dessert the best.

As we went into the tent for the entertainment portion, you could only say, “Wow.” The decorations of butterflies and massive hanging flower plants were incredible. Along the way, we got the chance to meet Attorney General Eric Holder and his wife, Sharon Malone. At our table for the performances, we were excited to meet and thank Luis Moreno, the President of the Inter-American Development Bank, one of Martha’s Table’s funders! The performances continued to take the night to another level. If you have not heard of the guitarist duo, Rodrigo y Gabriela, make your way quickly to ITunes. Beyonce was beyond words. She is a larger than life singer and performer and with her 15-piece band and laser show, she was over the top.

As I try to come down from the amazing evening, I am very grateful to Mrs. Obama for thinking of inviting the nonprofit community and for inviting Martha’s Table. Of course, what she does with her enthusiasm and energy on the issues that are so important to us, children, youth, hunger, nutrition, community service, is immeasurable. As I told her at the White House, she makes our jobs easier.

I also want to thank, once again, the incredible family at Martha’s Table that has created the type of place that would receive such an honor.

Lindsey Buss

President and CEO, Martha's Table

Photos of the event are above.