St. Louis Dining in the Dark Offers a Glimpse into the Lives of the Blind to Support Sight-Saving Research

St. Louis, MO (March 8, 2012) — The Foundation Fighting Blindness, a national nonprofit focused on sight-saving retinal research, will open guests’ eyes to the challenges of the visually impaired community at its 3^rd Annual St. Louis Dining in the Dark on Wednesday, May 16, at the Hilton St. Louis Frontenac. To recognize their accomplishments and support for the fight against blindness, the Foundation will present its Visionary Award to Jerry Kent, President and CEO of St. Louis-based Cequel III, and David A. Peacock, Former President, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. The unique event will benefit the Foundation’s cutting-edge research efforts into preventions, treatments and cures for vision-robbing retinal degenerative diseases like macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa (RP), Usher syndrome, and related conditions.

Dining in the Dark is a distinctive sensory awareness experience in which guests participate in an unforgettable dining adventure, in complete darkness. For about 30 minutes, attendees enjoy their entrée using only their senses of smell, sound, taste, and touch, to get a glimpse into the lives of the blind. Visually impaired servers, who are trained specifically for the dinner to use a system of ropes and stanchions, share their stories and help guests navigate through this new culinary journey. Created in Germany, Dining in the Dark is a one-of-a kind concept that has been enjoyed by many people across Europe before moving to America in 2005.

“Reactions to Dining in the Dark are truly powerful because people often don’t realize the daily challenges of living with low vision,” said Foundation Fighting Blindness CEO Bill Schmidt. “We’re thrilled to recognize the contributions of two St. Louis visionaries as we come together to support promising research that offers hope to the more than 10 million Americans at risk for losing sight to retinal disease.”

Chairing the event is John Mozeliak, General Manager of the 2011 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals, as well as Board Chair Dan Bergstein, who has three generations of family members affected with RP. A leader in the cable telecommunications industry, Visionary Award Honoree Jerry Kent co-founded the investment and management firm Cequel III in 2002, and serves as chairman and CEO of the seventh largest U.S. cable company, Suddenlink Communications. Mr. Kent is a native of the St. Louis area and a well-known community leader who has supported the fight against blindness since 2007. Also receiving the Visionary Award is David A. Peacock, who led Anheuser-Busch after the company was acquired by InBev in 2008, until January 2012. During his tenure, Mr. Peacock served as one of the directing officers for the Anheuser-Busch Foundation, which has a longstanding tradition of community outreach and contributions.

Individual tickets are available for $150 each and sponsorship packages begin at $2,500. For ticket and sponsorship information, contact Events Manager Maria Donile at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (847) 680-0100. To attend as a member of the media or coordinate an interview with an event spokesperson, 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 than 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 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.