As
you may have heard, 10 supporters will be joining me backstage before I
accept the nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

I’m pleased to announce that those supporters have been selected, and I wanted to tell you a little about them.

The people who make up our movement are of all different ages, races, and backgrounds — and these folks are no different.

Lenny is a former naval officer from Emerald Isle, NC. Barb is a
teacher married to a farmer in Fallon, MT. James is a law student in
Massillon, OH. And Anne is a retired budget analyst from Indianapolis.

John from Boulder, CO, believes developing alternative energy is the
answer to an array of policy problems. And Kayla from West Fargo, ND,
didn’t feel like she could ever be part of the political process –
until now.

They each bring their own unique perspectives and experience, and they are united by their hunger for change.

You can read more about these amazing people below. I’m looking forward
to meeting them at the Open Convention, and I hope you will join us in
sharing this important moment.

If you cannot make it to
Denver, you can get together with your friends and family and watch my
acceptance speech at a Convention Watch Party. It’s going to be a big
night, and you can join millions of supporters across the country to
make it a success.

Sign up to host or attend a Convention Watch Party in your community on Thursday, August 28th:

http://my.barackobama.com/organizeforchange

Thank you for your belief in our ability to bring real change to this
country. You continue to grow and strengthen our movement in ways no
one thought possible.

Barack

Meet the 10 supporters who will join me backstage at the Open Convention in Denver:

Barb Sackman of Fallon, Montana
Barb is a teacher living in Fallon, Montana, a town of 150. She lives
on her family’s wheat and cattle farm, and rising fuel prices are
making it hard to get by. She hopes Barack’s plan for alternative
bio-fuels will help the struggling economy in rural Montana. Barb
volunteers for her church, sits on a hospital board, and organizes
community events in Fallon. Barb says Barack “genuinely cares about the
problems of people like me. We appreciate his continued trips to
Montana to let us know that we are not forgotten.” She will attend the
convention with her husband.

Lenny Julius of Emerald Isle, North Carolina
Lenny is a retired naval officer who believes the Iraq War was a
serious strategic mistake. He says that in 2000 he looked forward to
seeing John McCain, a fellow shipmate, in the Oval Office, having known
and served with him in Vietnam — but no more. “Senator McCain has
become a strong supporter of the Bush policies — policies which have
led to disaster both at home and abroad.” He was won over by Barack’s
communication skills, leadership abilities, and intelligence. Lenny is
an auto parts manager at AutoZone in Emerald Isle, a heavily Republican
town where he says there are many “closet Barack supporters.” Lenny
remembers staying up late when he was young to watch John F. Kennedy
accept the nomination at the last truly open convention in 1960. He
will come to the convention this year with his wife.

Anne Rector of Indianapolis, Indiana
Anne is a retired budget analyst for the federal government. She says
the first time she saw Barack at the 2004 convention, she thought,
“This is Everyman. He is Kansan and he is Kenyan; he is African
and he is Anglo-American; he is common sense and he is eloquence; he is
dynamic and he is down to earth.” Anne is an active volunteer for the
campaign, as well as for a local animal protection group. She hosts a
weekly local radio program named Art and Review, in which she
reads to the blind. Anne strongly believes in the protection of our
civil liberties. She will attend with a friend and fellow campaign
supporter.

James T. Fondriest of Massillon, Ohio
James, a 22-year-old law student and graduate of Ohio State University,
never thought he would vote for anyone other than a Republican. An
active Bush-Cheney supporter in 2004, he became disillusioned with his
state party and Republicans’ handling of Iraq, health care, and
education. “Barack Obama has inspired me to believe in politics again
and, most importantly, the power of the ordinary citizen,” he writes.
“Although I still identify as a Republican and still stand for some
conservative values, I finally feel like America has found a leader it
can look up to and trust.” Leading up to the Ohio primary, James made
over 500 “Buckeyes for Obama” T-shirts and donated the profits to the
campaign. He plans to bring his father with him to the convention.

John Volkmar of Boulder, Colorado
John served in the U.S. Army for 10 years. He says his two tours in
Iraq with the 10th Special Forces Group opened his eyes to “the link
between our country’s lack of an effective energy policy and our flawed
foreign policy.” John believes changing this relationship is an
essential step towards ensuring that our government works for the
interest of the American people instead of special interest groups. He
is now pursuing an MBA and hopes to work in the alternative energy
industry. He is coming to Denver with his wife.

Marsha Shearer of Orlando, Florida
Marsha is a retired elementary school principal. She has phone banked
and canvassed for Obama in Florida, and has been a supporter since even
before Barack made the decision to run. Marsha believes that both the
Iraq War and America’s dependence on oil are negatively affecting the
health of our economy. She supports Barack because he is not a typical
politician. “He represents something above and beyond,” she says. “I
haven’t felt so energized since McCarthy, trying to end the Vietnam
War.” She will bring her college-age granddaughter to the convention.

Trinace Johnson of Richmond, Virginia
Trinace is a single mother and disabled veteran who served overseas for
the Iraq War. She currently works for the U.S. Army as a public affairs
specialist. She has voted since the age of 18, but this is the first
time she has actively been involved with a political campaign. Trinace
is inspired by Senator Obama’s message of change and his plans to
address all of the issues that she cares deeply about: veterans’
support, education, stopping the war, tax breaks for the middle class,
gas prices and health care. Trinace became motivated to get involved
when her neighborhood ran out of ballots in the primaries, and is
determined to ensure access to voting in this election. “I wish I could
be there in Denver,” she wrote to Backstage with Barack. “I would love
to be a part of this historical event. [It’s] so long overdue.” Trinace
will attend the convention with her sister.

Eric Melder of Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Eric is a 59-year-old married father of three sons and a grandparent to
seven grandchildren. A retired YMCA director, he has worked at Diakon
Wilderness Center for the past 13 years counseling young men with drug,
alcohol, and family problems. “The boys call me ‘E-rock’ and I do all I
can to make a difference in their lives,” writes Eric. A
self-proclaimed “values voter” and evangelical Christian, Eric switched
his allegiance from Mike Huckabee to Barack, convinced by Barack’s
ability to lead and build coalitions. Eric is bringing Anthony, a
former student at the Wilderness Center, who overcame immense
hardships, including an absent father and a drug-addicted mother, to
ultimately become Program Director of the Center. “Barack needs to meet
him,” Eric says.

Holly Miowak Stebing of Anchorage, Alaska
Holly, a 20-year-old Alaska Native Inupiaq, is spending her summer
break from Stanford University at the First Alaskans Organization
interviewing native elders about their experiences with segregation.
Holly is passionate about improving healthcare access for Native
Americans, and protecting Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from
drilling. The 2008 presidential election is Holly’s first as a voter.
She says: “This was the first campaign I felt I needed to support. I
don’t have a lot of money, but I donate what I can because I believe in
[Barack].” She will attend the convention with her mother who is the
first Native American woman to pass the Alaska bar.

Barack will accept the nomination in less than two weeks, and the pace of this campaign will get faster than ever.

Millions of new people will be paying attention, and you can help bring them into our movement at this crucial time.

Join the Grassroots Finance Committee (GFC), a core group of dedicated supporters who are setting a personal goal to raise $1,000 each in small-dollar donations.

Barack is relying on ordinary people giving only what they can afford
to support this movement. Join the GFC and reach out to your network of
friends, family, and neighbors and encourage them to make a donation
and own a piece of this campaign.

Sign up to join the Grassroots Finance Committee today.

You don’t need to have any prior political experience. This campaign is about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

In a few simple steps, you can create a personal fundraising
page on My.BarackObama and start reaching out to the people you know
today. You can track your progress on your page, send email
invitations, and even see who has responded.

We’ve made it as easy as possible, and campaign staff will be
available to make sure your personal fundraising efforts are a success.

The GFC team put together a video of Michelle, a committee member from the spring who wanted to share her experience.

Watch what she has to say and join the GFC today.

More than a thousand people like you have joined the committee and
helped power this movement through personal contact with fellow
grassroots supporters. That stands in stark contrast to the campaign
being run by John McCain and the RNC.

Right now, McCain and the RNC are raking in huge contributions from Washington lobbyists and special interest PACs to fund their increasingly negative attacks.

With just 80 days to the election, we need more supporters like you to join the GFC now.

Even if you have never done anything like this before, you can easily get started today.

Learn more about the Grassroots Finance Committee and have a major impact on this campaign:

http://my.barackobama.com/gfcsignup

Thank you for getting involved as we prepare for our final push,

David