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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, May 17, 2012 · 4 WOSS to serve Dinner in the Dark on Tuesday By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF White Oaks Secondary School's (WOSS) Activism & Awareness Club is inviting the community to its Dinner in the Dark Tuesday (May 29). As the name suggests, guests will be dining in the school's cafeteria with the lights off, so they can experience what it's like to be blind. Money raised will go to the Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB), Canada's leading contributor to vision research for eye disease. "I don't want people to come and experience a night and come out with the idea that it's so hard," said event organizer Molly Burke. "I want people to go in and see a different side of something they've never experienced. It's just to learn more. It's not to give them the impression that life is so hard for blind people. That's not the goal at all. It's to show them that this is what it's like for some people." Burke, 18, lost her sight at age 13 as a result of a degenerative retinal disease called retinitis pigmentosa. She became an ambassador for FFB and has helped raise thousands of dollars for the organization, including at last year's Dinner in the Dark. The event sold out quickly, raising approximately $2,000 for the organization. "It went really well (last year)," the Grade 12 student said. "The reason we're trying to reach out to the public sooner is because last year we had so many people calling in wanting to get tickets, but by that point, we (had) sold out completely." This year, the organization will be serving 200 guests, up from last year's 150 and Burke hopes to double the money raised. Guests will receive a full meal for the price of their tickets. The mood will be set by the playing of music by blind artists. People will also have a chance to win raffle prizes. Furthermore, there will be booths set up in the school's foyer where people will be able to learn about some of the work done by organizations that deal with blindness and vision loss. The FFB contributes to cutting-edge research into causes, treatments and cures for retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration and other related retinal eye diseases. Some of the organization's signature events include Comic Vision, Cycle for Sight, Ride for Sight and Vision Quest. The dinner begins at 6 p.m. White Oaks is located at 1330 Montclair Dr. Tickets cost $20 per person or $175 for a table of 10. For tickets, contact teacher Tracy Beck at beckt@hdsb.ca.