Superior Township family to travel to D.C. for White House Easter Egg Roll
Cristy Cardinal and Melanie Hagan with two of their children.
Courtney Sacco I AnnArbor.com
"After watching it, there was a link to enter the [tickets] lottery," Cardinal said. "I thought, 'Wouldn’t that be fun?'"
The White House Easter Egg Roll is a tradition dating back to 1878 when thousands of people gather on the south lawn of the White House to sing, dance, play games, tell stories and roll Easter eggs across the lawn.
Cardinal entered her family into the ticket lottery and a few weeks later, she received an email from the White House inviting her, her partner and their two kids to the 135th Easter Egg Roll on April 1. But she and her partner, Melanie Hagan, were reluctant to celebrate because they couldn't afford a weekend trip to Washington D.C.
So they reached out to their friends and family.
"We did an online fundraiser and in 24 hours had raised $2,000 to pay for our trip," Cardinal said.
That money was enough to cover all of their expenses and even helped compensate for the unpaid time off that Hagan had to request.
"We’re overwhelmed with how loved we are," she said.
Cardinal and Hagan left Friday with their three children, 6-year-old Charlotte, and 2-year-old twins Ruby and Milo.
"My older daughter is turning cartwheels with excitement," Cardinal said. "She understands who Barack Obama is and is really excited to meet him. We might not get the chance, but we hope to."
The twins aren't quite old enough to fully understand the trip's significance.
"They’re excited to go to 'the big white house,'" she said. "That’s what they keep calling it."
Cardinal said they'll be driving all day Friday and Saturday and they plan to go to the National Zoo on Sunday.
On Monday, they'll go to the egg roll, where Cardinal said she and Hagan are especially excited about the high-profile chefs that will be catering the event.
"I’m super excited about the chefs," she said. "We’re total food nerds in our house. We hope we get a chance to actually meet them and talk a little bit of food talk—what to do with all of those hard-boiled eggs maybe."
Once the egg roll is over, Cardinal said her family has one last thing to do before heading home to Michigan.
"While we are in that part of the world, we’re going to go to Maryland and getting married," she said. "The kids don’t know about that yet. We’re going to tell them closer to doing it."
Cardinal said the family will return home on Tuesday.
"We’re very, very grateful for the people who supported us and made it possible for us to do this," she said.
Comments
Sandy Castle
Sun, Mar 31, 2013 : 1:31 p.m.
You have to ask yourself what makes a person take the time out to post something so ugly and negative on an article about a family who has won a contest and is taking a family trip. My guess is they have snarky, negative lives and this is how they fill their time since nobody wants to be around them. You can hide behind annonymous online names, but I'm sure in your "real life" people see exactly what you are. "It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare." ? Mark Twain
jcj
Sun, Mar 31, 2013 : 12:56 p.m.
"We did an online fundraiser and in 24 hours had raised $2,000 to pay for our trip," You usually don't have to do an online fund raiser to get help from "family and friends"
Brad
Sun, Mar 31, 2013 : 1:21 p.m.
That raises a question. Exactly why do you care so much about this?
Adrienne
Sun, Mar 31, 2013 : 12:45 p.m.
Have a terrific trip! Congratulations on your wedding! Keep soaking up the love from your friends and family and shine on :)
vintagetimes4me
Sun, Mar 31, 2013 : 11:03 a.m.
Some people can & will be a downer & neggitive ninnies no matter what. Shame on you! Grow up allready. Not everyone has enough extra money laying around to just drop & go out of town like this. Its OK for people to help others. At least this is what I was taught. This is Easter! A positive story with exciting times for someone here in our area. I'm happy for your family! Enjoy this trip of a lifetime that will give you all lasting memory's. Congratulations to this beautiful looking family!
Hugh Giariola
Sun, Mar 31, 2013 : 1:09 p.m.
When I don't have enough money to go on a trip, do you know what I do? I don't go.
Mike D.
Sun, Mar 31, 2013 : 4:17 a.m.
Great story. So cool that family and friends pitched in to allow this to happen!
Superior Twp voter
Sun, Mar 31, 2013 : 2:07 a.m.
Unreal.
Jessica Webster
Sun, Mar 31, 2013 : 1 a.m.
Congratulations to Cristy and Melanie! I'm so excited the kids (and you!) get this experience!
Jack Gladney
Sat, Mar 30, 2013 : 11:42 p.m.
I was reading today that Michelle Antoinette has renamed the event the "1st Annual White House Let's Move! Social: Be Active. Be Healthy. Be you." I reserve further comment.
Brad
Sun, Mar 31, 2013 : 1:26 p.m.
Sounds like someone is missing their old First Lady of Xanax.
Adrienne
Sun, Mar 31, 2013 : 12:47 p.m.
Too bad you didn't reserve this comment.
KateT
Sat, Mar 30, 2013 : 11:37 p.m.
I've always wanted to do the White House Egg Roll. At first we didn't have the money to travel, then I thought the kids were too old to qualify. They raised the maximum age of the children, and I didn't know it, and we could have tried in the lottery . I was just telling my son today that when he has kids, I want to borrow them to take them there. And yes, it would be for me and them, admittedly! Of course I won't get to meet Michelle. I've seen Barack in Michigan and Ohio already, though. It is such a cool tradition. Congrats on your wedding, too! Super cool!
Admiral Halsey
Sun, Mar 31, 2013 : 12:24 a.m.
The best posts are the ones you can't tell are ironic/cynical.
Usual Suspect
Sat, Mar 30, 2013 : 9:22 p.m.
I you want to see Obama, I'd suggest getting involved in a golf ball roll.
jcj
Sat, Mar 30, 2013 : 8:55 p.m.
Lets see I would like to go to the Wausau Possum Festival – August 4, Wausau, Florida. Please donate to my trip. Never mind that I can't afford to put gas in my car. Oh while I'm there I can sign up for alligator wrestling. The twins aren't quite old enough to fully understand the trip's significance. Ya think? scam
a2citizen
Sun, Mar 31, 2013 : 5:47 a.m.
It's a variation of obama dollars.
A2anon
Sat, Mar 30, 2013 : 8:51 p.m.
What a wonderful story! Congratulations, on all counts.
A275
Sat, Mar 30, 2013 : 8:49 p.m.
Not gonna meet Obama. He's on vacation.
Brad
Sun, Mar 31, 2013 : 1:25 p.m.
I don't get the complaints about him vacationing since they always seem to come from detractors. Personally I was ecstatic each and every day that Bush wasn't in DC when he was president. On those days the worst he could do was screw up some brush hauling instead of launching the country on another war on fabricated pretenses.
Adrienne
Sun, Mar 31, 2013 : 12:52 p.m.
I'm surprised that someone who ostensibly follows the news is still trotting out this tired complaint. He has vacationed less than Bush, for a start. Should they not travel, are they less deserving than other First Families? And why would that be? Give it a rest already.
Cash
Sat, Mar 30, 2013 : 9:46 p.m.
He's at the Marquette v Syracuse basketball game in Washington,DC right now. He's in town.
jcj
Sat, Mar 30, 2013 : 9:23 p.m.
Well there will only be about 35,000 people there so I doubt they will meet him. And most of them paid their own way.
Courtney Sacco
Sat, Mar 30, 2013 : 8:59 p.m.
Obama is in DC this weekend and as well as Monday for the White House Easter Egg Roll