Night without Light -- A HUGE success

The weekend of our own version of Dinner in the Dark, could not have been better. It took a lot of work, a lot of cooking, a lot of last minute running around, but all in all (thanks to my family) it was an incredible event! Approximately 80 guests in total were served in total darkness. It took some tweeks and lots of thinking and hard work to get the windows covered properly to keep out the light, but we did it. We also had our "holding" areas that was also completely keeping out the light, so those running the food to our two servers, there would not be any light leaks in all the transition.

Before I go any further, and you are in the area, would you PLEASE consider coming? It's not even about the $20 donation towards VisionWalk, it's the experience. I cannot put into words the feeling I had after each and every guest walked out of the room, finishing their meal in the dark. There were tears, there were smiles, hugs and overall a new gratitude towards our senses. I have countless emails thanking us for allowing our guests to be a part of such a remarkable, once in a lifetime experience.

Would you please, please consider having a night out with great dinner, for a great cause and join us for our next Night without Light? I can surely promise you a night you will forever remember! You can try our signature Sunset cocktail that my cousin Joanna came up with. We wanted something to coincide with our "Sunset" theme and color of Gavin's Groupies. It was DELICIOUS!

Please contact me if you can join us. We will be announcing our next weekend very soon! I really hope you can take a few hours out of your life and experience this with us. I can assure you it will be a dinner you will not forget. :)

When you join us next time (don't you just like that subtleness), you can expect the following to happen. You will be greeted as you walk up, be given your Gavin's Groupies wristband as well as a program. You will be escorted through the door to our "bar". Here is where my cousin Joanna will make you a Sunset (or drink of choice). These drinks are for an additional $3, everything else is included in your donation. We have about a 30 minute waiting period to make sure everyone arrives and during this time, you can mingle, look at all our Gavin's Groupies pictures on photo boards of all our past events, and of course enjoy your cocktail. Troy is a great public speaker, and so he was nominated to talk to our guests for a few minutes during this 30 minute informative period. We informed people about what to expect during the experience, we talked about Vision Walk and where the donation is going towards, as well as an overview of Gavin's disease and blindness in general.

You will then be escorted to the dining area, in the light. All lights are on at this time. Your seating cards are on the table, one side printed the other your name written in braille. We serve you with your soda, water and choice of red or white wine. We also have the salads out on your plate, and you can choose your dressing. Although this is an advantage, we wanted people to be comfortable, because it is an uneasy experience to some. Once everyone is situated, we turn the lights off for about 15 seconds to give you a glimpse of what pitch black is, and the feeling that you will have that you are not in control of the darkness. Once everyone is ok with it, we turn the lights off and the feast begins!

First we start with the salads, then we bring in the main course, and once everyone is done, we will serve the dessert. This is all done in the dark, no lights, no candlelight, no glimpse of your hand in front of you. The servers wear night vision goggles, and you are responsible for filling up your glasses should you want more wine, water, etc.

All the while, about 10 family members are working to make sure everything is going smoothly. It definitely is a project in itself to accomodate everyone in the dark. But we did it! It went so smoothly, and I am so proud of us for such an accomplishment!

It really is a remarkable experience! We wanted it to be an enjoyable experience as well, and our efforts paid off. With all our thank you's we received and hugs and tears of support, you, our guests were really who I should be thanking. You will be walking away with being in my son's world for 35 minutes of your life, and your interest in our cause really gets me choked up. I am so thankful for all you have done to help us move forward. I am inspired by you guys!

Thank you for wanting to walk in Gavin's shoes. I am humbled and honored to have helped in giving you this experience. Thank you to our first Night without Light guests!

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