The Arrival, The Dinner
On the evening of Friday, November 22nd, Dr. Haines and the Give Me Sight Foundation hosted the 7th Annual Night For Sight Benefit concert. We were going for a magical evening, and what a magical evening it was!
Guests first began to arrive at The Shedd at 5 pm, for the dinner portion of the evening. Before dinner was served, guests got to roam around, enjoy the open bar, see old friends, make new ones and peruse the items on offer for the silent auction (thank you to all who contributed the items for auction AND to those who bid and won the items themselves!).
Then dinner was served! The Shedd really went all with its menu, as guests were treated to delicious homemade macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and juicy baked chicken! And you should have seen the massive, heaping tray of fresh-baked cookies that was brought out for dessert!
During the dinner, Dr. Haines got up to pay thanks to our guests, talk about the latest updates and activities of our foundation, how we’re continuing to not only help people abroad but how we’ve recently started to provide eye care services, free of charge, to medically underserved in our own area via our new alliance with Whitebird Clinic. Dr. Haines also introduced Dr. Rebecca Armour to the guests, as our new doctor to join our Board of Trustees, and one who has already been on several missions abroad herself!
The Show
Then it came time for the concert to start. Once guests were seated, Dr. Haines and Friends played a few songs, with Dr. Haines singing solo on a couple of occasions while playing his favorite guitar. Yes, he was very nervous, as this was his very first time singing solo for his guests, but he did quite well if the applause of the audience was any indication.
Then the featured act of the night came on stage: The Good Time Travelers! These gents have played at the previous Night For Sight concerts, and our guests could easily see why we keep inviting them back. The quality, positive energy and the groove-in-your-seat vibes that these two put out were uplifting to the point that there were continuous hoots and hollers from the crowd!
DVD to Be Available for Purchase
As an FYI, we will be producing a full DVD of the event for purchase. If you want to keep these memories close, simply send an email to info.givemesightfoundation@gmail.com and we’ll put your name on a list. When the DVD is finished we’ll send you your copy! All proceeds will go towards supporting our cause.
And How Much Did We Raise?
Of course, the purpose of this entire event is to raise funds to return the gift and beauty of eyesight to medically underserved communities both locally and abroad. The full accounting still has yet to be determined, but we can tell you that with your amazing generosity we were able to raise just over $25,000! These funds will go a very long way in helping us in our mission. And since we are an all-volunteer organization, and Dr. Haines funds the travel costs for the entire surgical team for our missions abroad, almost 100% of the funds we raise go directly towards helping those who need eyesight the most!
If you have not yet donated and would like to, you can do so by clicking here to make your tax-deductible contribution!
Now, if you would like to check out some photos from the event, here they are!
