By Theodore Fikre

Ethiopians for Obama invites you to join joining the Barack-O-Van to Columbus Ohio this coming Friday, February 29th through Sunday, March 2nd. We will have a chance to contribute on the ground this weekend. As Obama says, we are the change we have been waiting for. This weekend, we will wait no more; we will work with our minds, with our feet, and with our voice to deliver a victory in Ohio.

The itinerary for our trip is as follows:

First meeting point:
Date: February 29th 2008
Time: 12:00 PM EST
Location: Howard University, Thirkield Hall
2355 6th. Street NW
Washington, DC 20059

Second Meeting Point:
Time: 2:00 PM EST
Location: Sheetz Gas Station
1300 E Patrick St.
Frederick, MD

Third Meeting Point:
Time: 4:30 PM EST
Location: McDonalds
19 Commerce Dr,
Morgantown, WV

Destination: German Village Inn
920 S. High St.
Columbus OH 43206
Phone: 614-443-6506

The German Village Inn will be ground zero and the final stop for our Barack-O-Van. There are as of now 13 rooms reserved under Omegas at the German Village Inn. Since rooms in Columbus are in short supply, we encourage people to share as much as possible. Please call the German Village Inn (614-443-6506) and reserve a room under your name using the group Omegas as a reference. The rooms are going for $89.00 per night. Please call in advance to reserve the rooms, and again, make sure you make the reservation under “Omegas” so that you can get the discount group rate as well as ensuring hotel accommodation.

Some of you have stated that you have friends and family that have expressed interest in being part of this journey. Please reach out to those friends and family and encourage them to email [email protected] so that we can get as concrete of an idea of how many people will be attending.

Also, I encourage everyone that does not have a ride as of yet to email me and let me know. We are all embarking on this endeavor because we share an enthusiasm to change our nation for the better. As such, we are all friends who share a common bond; so this journey is not only a journey to volunteer, it is one where you will meet new friends along the way.

I will be following up in the coming days with updates and with additions to our Barack-O-Van listserv. If you have any questions or concerns along the way, do not hesistate to contact me. Please respond to me directly so that we can limit an influx of emails. ([email protected])