Park City • First lady Michelle Obama encouraged about 250 Utah supporters to help finish the work her husband started during his first term, telling the cheering crowd, "I want you all fired up."

"We need your help to finish what we’ve started and we need all of you to be with us for that next phase of the journey," she said. "It’s going to be long and it’s going to be hard, because there’s nothing easy about what Barack Obama is trying to do."

The first lady arrived at the event about an hour late after a mechanical problem forced the party to change planes before leaving the Washington area.

There were no scheduled public events but supporters gathered at the road leading to the mountainside community where the fundraiser was held. Another small cluster of backers holding signs awaited the first lady farther up the road near the entrance to the gated area.

Park City resident Laurie West rode her bike to the motorcade route, where she was among those awaiting the Michelle Obama’s arrival Tuesday.

"I just wanted to catch a sight of the first lady and show our support and patriotism," she said. While West said she is not necessarily a fan of the Obamas, "I think it’s important to show respect for the position."

The event brought in about $420,000, according to Wayne Holland, the former Utah Democratic Party chairman who helped organize the fundraiser.

During her remarks to the group, Obama listed what her husband has accomplished during his first term: turning "an economy that was on the brink of collapse to an economy that is starting to grow again," cutting taxes for middle-class families, extending a child-care tax credit, signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and passing health care reform.

"And today, because my husband ended ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ our troops will never again have to lie about who they are to serve the country they love," she said. There are now three women on the Supreme Court for the first time — two appointed by President Barack Obama — and "the man behind the 9/11 attacks and so many other horrific acts of violence has finally been brought to justice.

"I think it is fair to say we have made some significant progress over these last couple of years, and we should be proud of what we’ve accomplished," she added. "But we should never be satisfied because we know we still have so much work to do."

Children don’t have what they need to succeed, the first lady said, and too many people are struggling to pay the bills. "‘Michelle, it’s not right,’" Obama recounted her husband telling her. "‘We have to do more, and we have to fix this.’"

"Are you in? Are you ready for this?" she urged the crowd amid loud cheers. "Because I am in this. I am in this. I want you all fired up. I want you working like nothing else."

Bev Dawson, who lives in Davis County, said it was a magnificent setting for a fundraiser and was excited to meet the first lady and have her photo taken with her.

"I was very taken with Mrs. Obama and her talk, which certainly espoused the values I have for America and the families that live here," Dawson said. "I just thoroughly enjoyed listening to her. She was such a good speaker and such a thoughtful speaker."

Dawson said she left the event energized and eager to pitch in to get Obama re-elected – although she concedes she has lots of work to do in her predominantly Republican neighborhood.

The Republican National Committee, in anticipation of the first lady’s appearance, said that with 9.2 percent unemployment and 2.5 million jobs lost since he took office, President Obama’s economic policies have "failed."