Visionaries Susan and John Sykes to Be Honored at Tampa Bay Dining in the Dark

Visionaries Susan and John Sykes to Be Honored at April 17 Event

Tampa Bay, FL (April 2, 2012) — The Foundation Fighting Blindness, a national nonprofit focused on sight-saving research, will open guests’ eyes to the challenges of the visually impaired community at its 3rd Annual Tampa Bay Dining in the Dark on Tuesday, April 17, at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort & Golf Club in St. Petersburg. To recognize their philanthropic and business accomplishments in the Tampa Bay community, the Foundation will present Susan and John Sykes with its Visionary Award at the unique event. Legendary sports personality and Tampa Bay Rays Senior Advisor Dick Crippen will serve as master of ceremonies and musician Danny Rodriguez will entertain the crowd. 

Dining in the Dark is a distinctive sensory awareness experience in which guests participate in an unforgettable dining adventure, in complete darkness. To get a glimpse into the lives of the blind, diners will wear special light-blocking blindfolds and enjoy their entrée using only their heightened senses of smell, sound, taste and touch. The one-of-a-kind event will benefit the Foundation’s cutting-edge research into preventions, treatments and cures for vision-robbing retinal degenerative diseases like macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, Usher syndrome, and related conditions.

“Reactions to Dining in the Dark are truly powerful because people often don’t realize the daily challenges of living with low vision,” says Dinner Co-Chair and Foundation Fighting Blindness National Trustee Dr. Kamal Majeed, of St. Petersburg. President and CEO of Tampa-based NexTech Systems, Dr. Majeed is motivated in the fight against blindness because his late mother experienced vision loss later in life, and his mother-in-law is now losing her sight to age-related macular degeneration. “We’re thrilled to honor Susan and John Sykes’ standout contributions to the Tampa Bay community, as we come together to support promising research toward brighter futures for people living in darkness.”

Co-chairing the event with Dr. Majeed is Foundation Fighting Blindness National Trustee Patricia M. Campbell-Stichweh, whose daughter Melissa became a doctor despite having the vision-robbing disease retinitis pigmentosa. Visionary Award Honorees Susan and John Sykes are longtime Tampa Bay philanthropists, and made a significant mark on the city with significant contributions to The University of Tampa. Mr. Sykes, former president and CEO of Sykes Enterprises, has also been recognized several times for his success in business, including Florida Entrepreneur of the Year and Innovator of the Year awards. Other notable guests include Mrs. America April Lufriu, whose family is affected with retinal disease, President of The University of Tampa Dr. Ronald L. Vaughn, Nancy and Ray Murray, and Hazel and Bill Hough.

Individual tickets are $150 each and table packages begin at $2,500. For ticket and sponsorship information, please contact Lesley Ireland at (919) 781-8014 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . To RSVP as a member of the media or schedule an interview, please contact Allie Gebhardt at (410) 423-0643 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

About Foundation Fighting Blindness

The Foundation Fighting Blindness is a national nonprofit driving research that will lead to preventions, treatments and cures for retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration, Usher syndrome and the entire spectrum of retinal degenerative diseases that affect more 10 million Americans. In its 40-year history, the Foundation has raised more than $450 million as the leading non-governmental funder of retinal research. Breakthrough Foundation-funded studies using gene therapy have restored significant vision in children and young adults who were previously blind, paving the way for using this method to treat a wide variety of retinal degenerative diseases, and proving a cure is in sight. With a network of nearly 50 chapters, the Foundation also provides support, education and resources to affected individuals and their families in communities across the country.