“It’s a particularly exciting week to be here in our nation’s capital,” said host Sarah Jessica Parker last night as she kicked off the VIP reception before the powerful and stirring performance of the play Betrayed at the Kennedy Center.

Ms. Parker, with her co-host and Refugees International Board Member Matt Dillon, graciously welcomed guests at the VIP reception and immediately prior to the play.  They remarked upon the challenges facing the incoming Obama administration to help nearly 5 million Iraqis displaced by the war, and they spoke of their hopes in bringing this one-time performance to Washington, D.C.

"When I saw the play, I was struck by how powerfully it illustrates the crisis facing Iraqi refugees,” noted Mr. Dillon.  “What better place to present it than with Refugees International in Washington, where it can have the biggest impact with policy makers."

Ms. Parker echoed this sentiment: “Seeing so many of our leading citizens here tonight gives me hope that we won’t let their situation slip into the shadow of the past, that we will reach out with the assistance they so critically need to survive and rebuild their lives.”