Philadelphia, PA - Dining in the Dark 2010

The inaugural Philadelphia Dining in the Dark Visionary Awards Dinner was held on Thursday, June 3, 2010, at the Sheraton Philadelphia City Center. The evening honored two visionaries: Stuart L. Fine, M.D., Director Emeritus, Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania and Alan M. Laties, M.D., Harold G. Scheie-Nina C. Mackall Research Professor of Ophthalmology, University of Pennsylvania.

More than 200 guests enjoyed the evening that began with a reception of passed appetizers and wine. Once guests were seated, Emcee Lou Tilley, Sports Anchor and Reporter, welcomed the guests. Foundation Fighting Blindness’ Chief Executive Officer, Bill Schmidt, offered remarks and introduced the Foundation’s new video, “Envision.” Gordon Gund, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Foundation was the keynote speaker for the evening. Visionary Awards were presented to the evening’s honorees before the room was darkened for the main course.

The evening wrapped up with a beautiful song written and sung by Joe Corcoran and an inspiring speech given by Dinner Chair Ed Babin. The event was a tremendous success, raising more than $137,000 for retinal disease research. Thank you to the sponsors, donors, and committee who made this event possible.