Ladies and gentleman, my name is Sanjaya Hettihewa and as the President of the International Club of DC, it is an honor for me to welcome you to our second anniversary gala.

Over the last 2 years, we have organized over 300 diverse events for our members, donated over $10,000 to charity, and volunteered over 400 hours of community service to help combat hunger in the Washington DC area. I’m also pleased to announce that we surpassed 15,000 members last month. We are also very proud of the relationships we have established with organizations that share our vision and it is a privilege to celebrate our anniversary with our friends at the United Nations Association. Paula, Matt, and Fabrice thank you for a wonderful partnership!

We could not have accomplished all this if not for our dedicated committees, friends and partners, and of course your support. I’d like to take this opportunity to recognize Natascha Gerlach who is the chairperson of the gala committee for all her dedication and effort. I’d also like to recognize the efforts of Tony Daza, Clinton Sequeira, Maggie Brunet and our volunteer committee for all their support.

Before I conclude my remarks, I’d like to take this opportunity to announce our New Year’s Eve Gala at the Wardman Park Marriott Hotel. The event has been in production for the last 8 months and we plan to announce the details next week. It will be by far one of the grandest events we’ve organized. If you happen to be in town on New Year’s Eve, I hope to see you there!

Thank you very much for the honor of speaking to you. Thank you for your continued support and I wish you a wonderful evening.

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