Jennifer Correro of Rose Hill said the feeling of positive energy was tangible at Saturday’s “Restoring Honor Rally” in the nation’s Capitol.

She should know – she and her daughter, 15-year-old Mary Beth, were among the estimated tens of thousands who attended Glen Beck’s “celebration of America’s heroes and heritage” in Washington, D.C.

Correro said she and her family moved to Andalusia when her husband, Frank, got a job at Vector Aerospace.

She said she has always admired Beck, who said does not want to run for office.

“He’s political in the sense that he has a political point of view,” she said. “He wants to educate. He has a great way of getting the message across.

“He is a Christian American patriot, in my opinion,” she said. “He is helping educate Americans on factual history from our founding fathers – some of which is contrary from what we learned in mainstream school system. All he talks about is historical fact, not politics. He has motivated people get back to their Christian values and learning American history.”

Which is exactly what motivated Correro to attend the rally.

“He lights a fire in me to reach out to other people and share,” she said. “His beliefs are rooted in the same beliefs that I have, that this country was founded on Judeo-Christian values that we need to bring back.”

She estimated the event crowd near 500,000.

“The shear number of people was just amazing,” she said. “It was such a peaceful crowd. We prayed at beginning, in the middle and at the close. It was all about getting back to God.

“It was not a political rally,” she said. “It was about restoring honor in your own life, as far as teaching children to be good and honest; to pray daily on your knees, with your door open so your children can see you, every day. It was one of the most moving experiences of my life.”

Cerrero said rally participants were encouraged to bring their families.

“I wanted my daughter to witness this historic event,” she said. “It really made difference that my 15-year-old was able to witness the crowd of that size peacefully demonstrate in our nation’s capital. It was really a demonstration – not in the traditional sense of the word. It was more like a church picnic.

“There were people with their blankets and lawn chairs and grandparents with the grandchildren with their lunch, listening to a sermon,” she said. “It was amazing.”

She said neither speaker – Sarah Palin, former Republican vice presidential nominee, nor activist Alveda King, the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – voiced political views.

“I remember looking around and thinking, ‘I’m in the right place.’” Correro said. “A bagpipe came out on stage and someone started singing ‘Amazing Grace.’ Before long, the crowd all joined in and it was well, amazing. Everyone singing at the same time. That’s when I looked around and said, that’s something from God. I knew then I was in the right place.”