First Lady Travels To North Carolina For Fundraising, Let's Move! & Joining Forces

James Taylor joins Mrs. Obama for two fundraisers; the schedule...
First Lady Michelle Obama will travel to Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina on Friday, March 2, doing multiple duty with events for her two signature campaigns, and attending three fundraising events for President Obama's re-election effort. Mrs. Obama will have an airport meet and greet for Joining Forces in Raleigh, followed by a Democratic National Committee reception fundraiser at the City Center Marriot. In Charlotte, Mrs. Obama will join school kids attending the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament and 100th Anniversary celebration for a Let's Move! event. After, she'll share the spotlight with North Carolina-raised singer/songwriter James Taylor for two fundraisers for the Democratic National Convention.

The Convention will be held in Charlotte next Fall, and both fundraisers with Taylor will be at the Ballantyne Hotel and benefit the Convention's host committee, the Committee for Charlotte 2012. There are two price points: The first event, a reception, has tickets starting at $250, while the second, featuring dinner and a performance by Taylor, has tickets starting at $12,500 per couple. Taylor has been invited by the Obamas to perform at the White House three times, including for last year's State Dinner in honor of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and for the Country Music edition of "In Performance at the White House."

The First Lady's schedule:

Raleigh, NC * 11:30 AM – Mrs. Obama will arrive at Raleigh-Durham International Airport where she will be greeted by active duty and veteran service members along with their families from all branches of the military. Included in this group will be Naval Officer Lieutenant Jeff Ross, who recently returned from the longest naval ship deployment in 40 years and has served two combat deployments. He will be joined by his wife, Tricia, a Girl Scout leader and Program Manager for Blue Star Families’ Books on Bases program, and the couple’s four children.

Bianca Strzalkowski, a Marine Corps wife who was named the 2011 Military Spouse of the Year by Military Spouse magazine, will also greet Mrs. Obama. A military wife and mother of three, Bianca is also an active volunteer for her community. Since being named Military Spouse of the Year, she has created a Military Spouse Education Initiative to expand educational opportunities for her peers. She is the Director of Membership and Volunteer Outreach for Blue Star Families and is stationed at Marine Corps Air Station New River, in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Raleigh, NC * 1:00 PM – Mrs. Obama will deliver remarks at a Democratic National Committee reception at the City Center Marriot, where there will also be a luncheon. Tickets for the event start at $500 and will benefit the Obama Victory Fund.

Charlotte, NC * 3:30 PM – Mrs. Obama will join North Carolina school children for a Let’s Move! pre-game event during the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Tournament and 100th Anniversary celebration. The CIAA is the oldest African-American athletic conference in the nation and consists of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) spanning the east coast from Pennsylvania to North Carolina.

Charlotte, NC * 5:30 PM - Joined by Taylor, Mrs. Obama will deliver remarks at two Democratic National Convention Committee events in Charlotte, NC.
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*Photo by Eddie Gehman Kohan/Obama Foodorama