Chandler Lions Club to Partner with Local High School for BLINDED BY DE-LIGHT Fundraiser

Lions Club members Bill Fullerton and Steve Welker, who each lost their sight as adults, will partner with the Hamilton High School (HHS) Leo Club, Drama Club and Culinary Classes to create a dining-and-drama experience while "blind" at Blinded By De-Light, beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 18 in the Hamilton High School cafeteria.

The "total sensory experience" is a fund-raising event to support the Chandler Lions Club's eye-care and eye-wear program that provides free eyeglasses and eye care to youth in Chandler. In 2016, the Club donated 187 pairs of eyeglasses to Chandler students.

Welker, who lost his vision in a car accident on his way to meet the surrogate mother of his children - he has never seen their faces - and Fullerton, who went blind after stepping on an IUD during the Vietnam War, will teach participants how to eat and enjoy a play without being able to see.

Tickets, which must be purchased in advance, are $20. No tickets will be sold at the door. Participants in the Dine-and-Drama-in-the-Dark experience will wear masks during dinner and the show. Participants can bring their own blackout masks or rent one from the Lions for $3 the night of the event. To purchase tickets, contact Diana Moore at (480) 883-0960 or RuthJon Wick at (480) 895-3569.

Dinner will be prepared and served by Hamilton High School culinary students, under the direction of Orlando Chaney. The school's Drama Club, under the direction of Christina Vail, will present The 39 Steps based on the adventure novel by John Buchan that first appeared in Blackwood's Magazine in 1915 and was made famous in Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 film starring Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll.

The story revolves around a man in London trying to help a counterespionage agent. But, when the agent is killed and the man is accused of the crime, he goes on the run to save himself and also stop a spy ring trying to steal top-secret information.

"This is a sensory experience to create a better understanding among the public as to the challenges that men and women with disabilities may face every day and how they're able to overcome those challenges," said Chandler Lion Diana Moore, who is coordinating the event. "We will teach participants how to eat and watch a show without being able to see."

For more information about the event and the Chandler Lions Club, visit www.e-clubhouse.org/sites/chandleraz or facebook.com/ChandlerLionsClub.

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