The Philadelphia fundraiser will take place on June 18, giving guests a first-hand glimpse of blindness
Foundation Fighting Blindness Hosts Dining in the Dark To Open
Eyes to Challenges of the Visually Impaired, Benefit Sight-Saving
Research
The Barnes Foundation’s Derek Gillman To Receive Visionary Award at
June 18 Event
Philadelphia, PA (April
23, 2013) — The Foundation
Fighting Blindness, a national nonprofit focused on sight-saving research,
will present its Visionary Award to Derek A. Gillman,
Executive Director and President of the Barnes Foundation, at the 4th
Annual Philadelphia Dining in the Dark. The unique event will take place on
Tuesday, June 18, at6 p.m. atthe Union
League of Philadelphia and give guests a first-hand glimpse into the
lives of the visually impaired. It will also benefit the Foundation’s research
into preventions, treatments and cures for blinding retinal degenerative
diseases like macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa that affect more
than 10 million Americans, young and old. Serving as Master of Ceremonies is
local sportscaster Lou Tilley.
Dining in the Dark is a distinctive sensory awareness experience in which
guests participate in an unforgettable dining adventure, in complete darkness.
To get first-hand insight into the challenges of the blind community, diners
will wear special light-blocking masks and eat their entrée using only their
heightened senses of smell, sound, taste and touch. 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 obstacles of living with low to no vision,” says Dinner
Co-Chair Ed Babin, of Berwyn, a Foundation Fighting Blindness board member
whose
two sons have a sight-robbing condition called Stargardt disease. “We’re
thrilled to recognize the accomplishments of Derek Gillman, as we come together
to support cutting-edge research that could save and restore vision for my
sons, and millions more around the world.”
Visionary Award Honoree Derek Gillman, of Merion Station, is an Oxford-educated
art historian and author who became executive director and president of the
Barnes Foundation in 2006. He has dedicated his career to preserving and
sharing the arts, formerly at the helm of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine
Arts, where he oversaw the institution’s 200th anniversary in 2005.
Gillman also knows the impact of sight loss because his wife Yael Hirsch, also
an art historian and writer, suffers from macular degeneration, a disease that
robs central vision. The Foundation Fighting Blindness is recognizing Gillman
for his contributions to the arts community and support of the mission to save
and restore sight.
Co-chairing the event with Ed Babin is Haverford resident Brook Lenfest,
Chairman and CEO of NetCarrier, Inc. and a Partner in LGL Partners, who was
presented with the Foundation’s Visionary Award in 2012. “The Foundation
Fighting Blindness is a great investment because funding helps advance new
treatment approaches,” says Lenfest. “Two examples of this progress are gene
therapy clinical trials that have restored significant vision in several
patients, and the recently FDA-approved Argus II retinal prosthesis, which
gives some sight back to people with advanced retinal disease."
For more information about Dining in the Dark, contact Lisa Gallipoli at
212-244-1470 or LGallipoli@FightBlindness.org. To
request media credentials for the event, or to coordinate an interview with a
spokesperson, contact Allie Gebhardt at 410-423-0643 or AGebhardt@FightBlindness.org.
What:
Philadelphia Dining in the Dark, benefitting the Foundation Fighting Blindness
Where:
The Union League of
Philadelphia
140 South Broad St.
Philadelphia, PA 19102
When:
Tuesday, June 18,
2013
6-7 p.m. Reception
7-9 p.m. Visionary Award Program & Dining in the
Dark
Photos:
2012 Philadelphia Dining in the Dark (Credit: Thomas Robert Clarke)
About Foundation Fighting Blindness
The Foundation Fighting Blindness is a national non-profit organization driving the 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. Since 1971, the Foundation has raised more than $500 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 additional clinical trials to treat a variety of retinal degenerative diseases. With a coveted four-star rating from Charity Navigator, the Foundation also has nearly 50 chapters that provide support, information and resources to affected individuals and their families in communities across the country.
