Celebrating 10 Years: Dinner in the Dark 2024

This year’s Dinner in the Dark at Foxwoods was a tremendous success, raising over $225,000 and welcoming 330 attendees. Because of the immense support of everyone who joined us for this important evening and those who supported from a distance it was our most successful year yet.

This year, we recognized Susette Tibus and Chuck Sneddon and the entire Simply Majestic team for their 10 years of incredible commitment to Hope in Focus and our LCA community. To honor their support, a special table was set up displaying the jewelry they generously donated over the years, along with photographs of the grand prizes from past events.

Susette Tibus stated in her remarks before dinner, “There is a saying in Africa if you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together.”  Thanks to their abundant generosity of resources, time, talent, and community connections Hope in Focus has gone far in the last 10 years, becoming the leading global advocacy organization for those living with LCA. 

Thank you to our speakers, emcee Mike O’Farrell, Laura Manfre, Courtney Coates, Sofia Priebe, and keynote speaker Anthony Ferraro. Anthony is a remarkable athlete, motivational speaker, social media sensation, and proud new father whose message is relatable and uplifting. With warmth and humor, Anthony heightened our understanding of LCA and its impact on daily life.

This year, we were delighted to host some extraordinary guests— one with hooves and others with wings! Courtesy of Mystic Aquarium, penguins waddled into the celebration. We’re incredibly grateful to Mystic Aquarium and want to thank their team, the penguins, and our zebra, a symbol of rare diseases, Luca Priebe.

We want to thank each of our sponsors, whose generous support helped us reach this exciting milestone. We also want to acknowledge the donors of the auction items, The Cartells for entertaining us with their music, and our 20/20 Vision Patrons for their contributions.  

When it comes to the food and drinks, we can’t forget the contributions of our in kind donors, Angelini Wines, Beer’d, and Foxwoods. Not to mention the Foxwoods Resort and Casino team who designed, cooked and served a beautiful seasonal menu – check out what we ate on our “What’s for Dinner?” blog.

Lastly, a heartfelt thank you to our support team, including the Naval Submarine School in Groton, which served and assisted guests throughout the evening as sighted guides. We also thank our event committee for their hard work in planning, designing, and organizing the event.

As we head into Thanksgiving, we are feeling very grateful to the community of friends, family, volunteers, sponsors, attendees, donors, and penguins! You really showed your stripes and we sincerely thank everyone who made this year’s Dinner in the Dark a success. We look forward to welcoming you again next year.