Virginia McLaurin—known to her fans as Grandma Virginia—spent her 109th birthday at Roots Public Charter School with the Harlem Globetrotters.
McLaurin became a viral sensation in 2016 when she visited the White House and danced with the Obamas on her 106th birthday. On her 107th birthday she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor for her volunteer work.
She connected with the Harlem Globetrotters several years ago and celebrated her 109th birthday with members of the team at a school earlier this year.
“If I look up to Grandma Virginia, then that shows them that they should respect their elders as well and always look up to them and value what it is they have to say,” said Zeus McClurkin, a Harlem Globetrotter, according to WJLA, an ABC affiliate.
She continued the celebration six months later by taking two Globetrotters to a holiday visit at a charter school she volunteered at for more than 20 years.
McLaurin—a huge Globetrotters fan—sang an original song called“Globetrotters Gonna Shine, with members of the Globetrotters, according to Washington’s Top News. The team donated 109 tickets for the children to attend their next game—one for each year of McLaurin’s life.
“I feel good,” McLaurin told ABC. “I just think it is a blessing for me and for you all to invite me…and I enjoyed every bit of it. I feel good, I don’t have an ache or a pain.”
