2nd Annual Tampa/St. Petersburg Dining in the Dark Visionary Awards Dinner
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On April 27, 2011, the Foundation Fighting Blindness hosted its Second Annual Tampa/St. Petersburg Dining in the Dark Visionary Awards Dinner at the historic Vinoy Resort in St. Petersburg, FL. Dinner Co-Chair, Dr. Kamal Majeed, welcomed over 260 guests who joined us as we honored Ronald L. Vaughn, Ph.D., President of The University of Tampa, and the memory of the late Edie Loebenberg, Co-Founder of the Florida Holocaust Museum for their accomplishments and leadership of the Tampa Bay community.
Local Tampa Bay chapter leaders, Dr. Corey and Mary Lou Johnson Evans shared their personal story and helped shed light on the many obstacles families affected by retinal disease face on a daily basis. Their message of hope inspired all throughout the room. We also heard from our newest local celebrity, Mrs. April Lufriu, Tampa Bay Chapter President who was recently crowned Mrs. America. April is sharing her story across the country and helping to raise awareness for the Foundation and the millions of Americans losing their sight to retinal disease. April and her two children were diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa last year, and has since jumped in with a renewed determination and passion to fight these vision-robbing diseases. As Dr. Bruce and Mrs. Amy Epstein came on stage to introduce and present the award to Walter Loebenberg and Sandy Mermelstein on behalf of Edie, the entire room was a buzz with excitement. Edie was well known for her passion for life, and wonderful sense of humor. Her daughter, Sandy read a beautiful poem Edie had written about her life and the wonderful family memories that brought such joy into her life. Despite several medical ailments in her later years, Edie always told everyone that losing her sight to macular degeneration was one of the most difficult obstacles she had to face. Her daughter Sandy, and her husband Walter, did an amazing job bringing Edie’s memory to life. Gene McNichols also did a fabulous job on introducing our next honoree, Dr. Ronald L. Vaughn and highlighting many of the important contributions he has made in the field of education. Under Vaughn’s leadership, the University has entered a period of growth and expansion unlike any in its 79-year history. He has done a phenomenal job involving many notable Tampa Bay Business leaders in the process.
Dinner Co-Chair, Patricia Stichweh closed out the evening with her personal story and urging all guests to continue to support the important work of the Foundation Fighting Blindness.
Special thanks to our wonderful Dinner Co-Chairs, Patricia Campbell Stichweh and Kamal Majeed, Ph.D., as well as the rest of our committee; Dana Deupree, M.D., Sonya Endicott, Carl Kuttler, Ph.D., Jack LoBianco, Suzanne MacDougald, Marion Samson-Joseph, Mark Sibley, M.D., Robert Stichweh, Michael Tolentino, M.D., Tricia Ulrich Spinazzola, Becky Wells, and Ashley Will for all of their hard work and dedication in building this inaugural event. Their amazing team effort helped us raise over $173,000 for retinal degenerative disease research. Thanks to all of our wonderful volunteers, committee members, sponsors and guests for making the Second Annual Tampa/St. Petersburg Dining in the Dark an evening to remember! Because of you, a cure IS in sight! If you’d like more information about the Tampa/St. Petersburg Dining in the Dark or you would like to join the committee for next year’s event, please contact the Florida Regional Office at 954-308-5555 or toll-free in Florida at 866-782-7330. |
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