Home of Hope's 9th Annual banquet was once again a memorable event. HOH's unfailing formula of keeping the focus on its family of 1,500 children paid off handsomely and over $125,000 was raised through ticket sales, sponsorships and pledges. HOH was never about glitz and glamour, and this year once again the camera shone not on the rich and famous, but rather, on those who have been so moved by the plight of the disadvantaged children of India that they got on the stage and shared the wonderful story of HOH and the life changing work it continues to do. Approximately 600 elegantly clad men, women and children attended this meaningful event on September 30th at the unassuming, yet delectable Chandini Restaurant, Newark. Shilpi Minocha, lead organizer of the event was enthusiastic about the success of the event "Our cost for the ENTIRE EVENT including EVERYTHING was under $16k which is usually the flower budget for fancy events. We are very proud of our success and will stick to our low BUDGET formula." The dining hall was tastefully decorated with white and saffron table linens and fresh flowers. There were an impressive variety of snacks followed by an elaborate and delicious dinner spread. As always, entertainment was an important element of the evening and the musicians kept everyone's feet tapping both on and off the dance floor. Vikas Singh, CHAIR PERSON FOR ENTERTAINMENT brought a host of talent to the event including lead singer Anisha Bakshi (who managed a range of songs from Qawali's to Bollywood pop with remarkable expertise), Ali Shabudin( long term film industry Musician and Arranger - now settled in the US), Malkiat Singh( Tabla Nawaz ) and Mukesh (DJ - Sound). In all of this, the most significant part of the evening was of course the message of HOH. Dr. Nilima Sabharwal, President of HOH and other board members conveyed this with clarity and sensitivity. In quoting Shakespeare "Life is a stage and we are mere actors", Sabharwal drew the parallel "HOH is like a stage...a very small stage in this drama of life. The actors on this stage are CHILDREN that have been forgotten, left behind. All of these children have a story to tell, a drama to convey on this small stage. But today, we are here to celebrate those children that have MADE IT they have not only SURVIVED but are on the road to THRIVING. These children symbolize the resilience of the human spirit, the indomitable will of a person that just refuses to GIVE UP." Dr. Nalini Bhat, project coordinator of the Mijwan Gaon project for young girls caught in the cycle of illiteracy, early marriage/child rearing and subjugation gave a powerful speech about how much this project has done to change the lives of these girls who have now developed marketable skills and can earn their keep. "By the end, these girls were writing their own checks - if that is not empowerment, what is?" Bhat asked the attentive audience. Video presentations, including the recent story done by NBC 11 told stories of children who are orphaned; physically disabled mentally challenged, blind/deaf/mute, victims of the recent Tsunami disaster, exploited as child prostitutes or otherwise disadvantaged. The miraculous work that was being done to give their lives a new meaning and direction was clear to all who attended. For more information on Home of Hope and our current projects and how you can help, please visit us at www.hohinc.org. Your support is very important to the success of our mission. You can also write to us at info@hohinc.org Home of Hope is a Non Profit Charitable Organization Tax ID#94-3342348 sec 501 (c)3 You can make donations online or mail your donation checks at: Home of Hope Inc. 190 Tobin Clark Drive Hillsborough, CA 94010		Kids helping kids ... In keeping with the overall theme of the evening, "Kids helping Kids" two 6-year olds-Aadeesh Shastry and Sara Jivan from Genius Kids (extra-curricular school program for gifted children) reinforced the message of HOH in a moving skit. Board member Rekha Gupta, gave special mention to 6 teenagers who made the time and commitment to raise several thousand dollars for the children of HOH including Amaraj Judge, Nisha Kalra, Neyha Bhat, Nick Gupta, Nandini Nallasivan,and Nina Sawhney.