ALES colleagues and friends,

Masa L Khayr. Good Evening.

We are pleased and honored that you are joining us this evening to celebrate another ALES year and show your support for the organization. Thanks to your amazing support and the wonderful hard work of the ALES officers and directors I am honored to work with, ALES was able to achieve important milestones in 2006. I like to highlight some:

• ALES has maintained a strong scholarship program

• ALES was an Advisory Partner and Sponsor of the First International Conference for Technology Development in Lebanon that took place at MIT in May.

• In July and August, during the unfortunate war on Lebanon, ALES succeeded in being a positive factor in the relief efforts for Lebanon that took place in the Greater Boston area emphasizing that harmony and good will among the Lebanese are very necessary to solve any problems mainly the problems that the war created.

• In September, ALES launched the Rebuild Lebanon Information Center regarding the rebuilding and recovery efforts in Lebanon and how people can help.

• In December, ALES sponsored a presentation by two of its members, Mr. Charles Sacre and Mr. Nabil Hourani, who did a remarkable job introducing the organization’s vision and process to participate in the Rebuilding efforts in Lebanon.

The next sections of the event program will shed more light on our Scholarship Program and the Rebuild-Lebanon initiative.

On the way here, I was listening to Fairouz singing for Lebanon, that it never dies and is always self-rebuilt after destruction, and saying “B Yit Jarra7 Lubnan. B Yit Haddam Lubnan. Bi Oulou Mat w Ma Bi Mout. Wi Byirja3 Min 7jarou Bi 3alli Byout”. How True! With all us, with all the Lebanese, working together, Lebanon will be rebuilt this time as well!

Thank you very much. Enjoy the evening.