ORLANDO, Fla. — When Robert McDowell began Operation Ensuring Christmas, he never believed it would eventually lead to meeting with the president.

But that’s just what happened last week when McDowell, a Franklin native, made the trip to Washington, D.C., to meet with President Bush on June 26 to talk about the charity’s work.

McDowell, who now lives in Orlando, Fla., was invited as a member of America Supports You.

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“I’m a member of America Supports You, several grassroots organizations around the country that support the troops and their families,” said McDowell. “Because I am a member, they invited me and 12 other groups to meet with the president. He talked to us about the war and our organizations and what we’re doing with the troops and their families.”

Operation Ensuring Christmas was started by McDowell in October 2004 in an effort to provide financial, moral and rehabilitative support to the children of American soldiers who lost their lives in combat.

The organization provides Christmas gift cards to children during the holiday season. After the meeting with Bush, the organization also kicked off the ‘Christmas in July’ program, which will send the children to Orlando to a theme park for a VIP, or Very Important ‘Precious Lil Heroes’ vacation.

“We met in the Roosevelt Room with the heads of several other organizations,” said McDowell.

He said the call inviting him to the meeting came at short notice, but he had to oblige.

“I was very surprised when I got the call from the White House. The call came about a week before the meeting was held. It was kind of a scramble, but it was certainly an honor to meet with the president,” he said.

“I told him what we do at OEC,” said McDowell. He also shared a special gift with Bush from a family that lost its patriarch to the war.

“I was with a family the first week in June at Disney. They gave me two memorial bands with their father’s name, unit and where he was killed,” McDowell said. “We didn’t know that at the time, but it was the same day the troops got Zarqawi in Iraq. The family wanted to send their thanks for getting Zarqawi. It was a bittersweet thanks.”

McDowell gave the president one of the memorial bands.

“I told the president that he was going to get that. He said thank you and he was looking forward to getting it,” he said.

In addition to meeting the president, McDowell also met with actor Gary Sinise of “CSI: NY” and “Forrest Gump” fame. Sinise led a press conference following the meeting with the president.

“We got to meet with Gary and talk to him a bit. That was pretty neat,” McDowell said.

This past weekend, McDowell and Operation Ensuring Christmas were special guests of NASCAR at the Pepsi 400 in Daytona Beach, Fla. There, he saw Vice President Dick Cheney, although he did not meet with him.

“It was kind of a whirlwind week here,” said McDowell.