As senior director of special events for the Metropolitan Washington, D.C., chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Jodi Lenet plans annual events such as the National Great Strides Walk in May and the Breath of Life Gala, which raised $3,470,000 this past Saturday. Prior to joining the foundation four years ago, Lenet served as meetings assistant at the CNS Consulting Group.
Catering: "Ridgewells is a tremendous supporter of the foundation—it works with us on most of our events. Susan Lacz, the president of Ridgewells, is a generous partner of the chapter. The company offers first-class service and accommodates every request. Actually, it recently won the International ISES Award of Excellence for the 2007 Breath of Life Gala. It is a huge part of our success and in keeping our expense ratio under 9 percent.”
Audiovisual Production: “IEP has been a partner of the foundation for years, and continues to support the gala and work with the chapter to ensure the best cost and best service. It, too, is a big part of our success and keeps our expense ratio under 9 percent.”
Floral Design: “Jen Dolan, the owner of Exquisite Design Studio, has worked with us on the gala for two years. She has a true sense of how to create our vision and has such a creative mind. Jen adds so much beauty and elegance to the event. She is dedicated to the fight and to our end goal of creating a first-class event, while keeping our costs as low as possible so we can raise money and fund the research that will cure cystic fibrosis in our lifetime.”
