The Marriott Wardman Park played host to the 2007 ISES Greater Washington DC Chapter Expo on November 1st. A sold-out "007"-themed show that featured 55 exhibit booths and over 500 attendees, this was indeed the largest and most successful Expo ever. Our thanks go to our show's co-chairs: Wendy Siminski with O'Keefe Communications (Silver Sponsor) and Wendy Drake with The Webster Group (Gold Sponsor) who worked tirelessly to produce a very professional show. Thank you for elevating the Expo to a new level!

The ISES Expo proved to be the place to be for event planners, event vendors, and anyone with a sweet tooth. Attendees were treated to fantastic setups of new linens, tabletop ideas, lighting displays and a myriad of sugary indulgences. Fancy Cakes by Leslie doled out beautifully decorated and rich cake, Smoothie Time served up mini milkshakes, and 2941 Restaurant distributed cotton candy in every flavor imaginable - including pina colada. There was also a chocolate fountain, a novelty ice cream cart, and a bowl of candy at every other booth. Attendees went home with pockets full of business cards and sugar highs.

As part of the EXPO, the chapter hosted its annual Silent Auction. Following tradition, a portion of the proceeds will benefit DC Foster Kids and the ISES DC Scholarship fund. Attendees opened their hearts and their wallets, raising more than $5,400 for these worthy causes. More than 85 items were auctioned off ranging from restaurant certificates to theater tickets to hotel stays. Attendees were also able to bid on the contest entrants of the fourth annual basket competition. The winner of the Most Whimsical Basket was Brazil Latino Events for a "Tropical Brazilian Basket." The winner of the Most Creative Presentation was H2O Restaurant & Lounge for a 3-tiered gift collection of foods and spa products. The Highest Yield basket was the "Acoustic Guitar Basket" donated by Fresh Air Music Entertainment. The Greater Washington DC Chapter would like to thank all of the donors and volunteers who helped to make this year's auction one of our most successful auctions ever!

Photos by: Fotobriceno

Dear ISES Friends,

I wanted to tell you a little about my recent trip to India and thank many of you for your support and encouragement.

Our team had an indescribable two weeks there. We were able to visit 6 orphanages and 2 leper colonies run by Hopegivers International. We played games with the kids, led crafts, performed silly skits, led worship services and sang crazy jump-up-and-down songs. I even did back up for a rap song! We were also able to set up medical clinics at each orphanage with the help of the 3 nurses on our team

India is a beautiful country with very kind and gentle people, but there is also incredible poverty. There are an estimated 18 million street children in India. I saw street children begging for 1 rupee , which is equivalent to only 2.5 cents. I gave a 14 year old boy a 30 cent granola bar. After a lot of coaxing, I finally got him to unwrap it and take a bite; often they want to show it to other kids. He finally sat on some steps, stretched out, took a bite, and acted as if he were the king of India.

Even in their poverty, the orphans we visited displayed incredible joy. We were always greeted like rock stars with four or five kids trying to hold your hand. And, most of our photos had to be taken in sports/action mode because the kids couldn't stop moving.

I was so fortunate to have the opportunity to meet these incredible people and share in their struggles and their joy.