Join us for a Zumba class and Silent Auction!

Please join us at the Herndon Community Center form 3pm to 5pm this Saturday, September 13, 2014, the annual “Dance for Sight” Zumbathon and Silent Auction. There will be a clown and free face painting for the little ones.

Melody Goodspeed, who lost her vision in 2003 at the age of twenty-six wants to invite everyone to join her on Saturday, September 13, at the Herndon Community Center, Herndon, Virginia, for the second annual ZUMBA Dance for Sight and silent auction to raise money for the Louis J. Fox Center for Vision Restoration, a research institute located at the University of Pittsburgh. Melody is passionate about raising money for the Center’s research in vision restoration. “I have faced many struggles and obstacles but I remain hopeful that one day I and many others will see again.” (Melody has never seen her four-year-old son.)

For a $15 tax-deductible donation, participants can dance as much or as little as they want to, bid on the silent auction and have a great time. Last year’s event raised almost $10,000 for sight research. With the outpouring of support that Melody has received from the community she believes that this year’s Dance for Sight will raise even more money. The University of Pittsburgh’s Medical Center will also match 100% of what she raises!

All of the proceeds for the event will go to the Louis J. Fox Center for Vision Restoration, whose primary mission is to promote research and innovation that will allow the vision-impaired to one day regain their sight. This year’s Dance for Sight will focus on raising funds for the work that Dr. Michael Steketee is conducting with optic nerve regeneration, one of the most promising advancements in sight research. Melody says “His research is fascinating, and even more exciting, it is working. The optic nerve is very complex and the discoveries Dr. Steketee and his team at the Fox Center have made are amazing.” Dr. Steketee and his family will be attending this year’s Dance for Sight.

To take part in Dance for Sight, drop by the Herndon Community Center, 814 Ferndale Avenue, Herndon, Virginia on Saturday September 13, from 3-5 p.m. and join in on all the fun. Those who cannot attend the event can help by visiting www.eyeandear.org and clicking on “Donate Now,” with the designation Dance for Sight Fundraiser.