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8 stouflville simtribunem satwday oct 132007 staff photosjim mason oak ridgesmarkham mp lui temelkovski and his wife loretta eat their lunch blindfolded on world sight day thursday at crossroads restaurant in stouffville diners in dark for a reason guests get taste of blind life during world sight day by michael power staff writer ever wonder what its like to be blind even for a short time those who attended a luncheon on thursday received a realistic taste of what its really like the luncheon at the crossroads res taurant in stouffville had the guests eat with their eyes covered to simulate a condition millions of people around the world already live with said dave mccomiskey executive director of christian blind mission canada everyone at the luncheon was blind folded and had to function as if they had no vision those eating were equipped with blindfolds along with aprons to keep themselves clean if eating with out sight became difficult the diners included mayor wayne emnierson mp lui temelkovski and suntribune editor jim mason helpers without blindfolds were on hand to ensure the lunch went smoothly it could be a little bit messy said mr mccomiskey noting the food was cho sen to be slightly tough without vision were trying to make it an achievable goal if a bit of a challenge the world health organization this year declared oct 11 world sight day and as a result christian blind mission canada took the opportunity to plan the luncheon our goal is to draw awareness to the problem of blindness around the world particularly in the developing world mr mccomiskey said around the world more than one million children under the age of 15 are blind with a blind child in the develop ing world given a 60 per cent chance of dying within one year of losing their sight a representative of christian blind mission canada said many of these children afflicted with blindness live in poverty in the develop ing world children can lose sight due to malnutrition such as through a lack of vitamin a events such as natural disasters or famines can also increase rates of blind ness worldwide 37 million people are totally blind while 110 million are seri ously visually impaired with less than 10 per cent vision in their best eye rather than as a fundraiser the event was organized to raise awareness of how many people especially children are affected by blindness and visual impairment its just to understand just for a moment how loss of vision impacts your world mr mccomiskey said for more information on christian blind mission canada visit their website at wwwcbmicanadaorg goodwill www goodwi 1 1 on ca i restore goodwill arid habitat for humanity will be there accepting goodwill clothing accessories h housewares b books music cameras giftware dvds videos fabrics textiles h games toys sports equipment habitat for humanity a quality renovation materials light fixtures plumbing fixtures unused full bundles of shingles paint unopened unused kitchen bath cabinets hardware composter sale 1000 each cash only limit 2 per household while quantities last mayor wayne emmersori tries the soup as lindsay oconnor of christian blind mission international looks oh a join the adventure we are planning a busy year for 20062007 the 100th year of scouting i u i anada wwwslsscoutingca this message brought to you as a community service of the economistsuntribune l8bmmmb re us e d r o p o f f e v e n t lo c at ion waste management centre mtfm 10 garfield wr blvd ifww east gwillimbury mount albert garfield wright boulevard mm ujk ffiqui davis drive vivian road road i stickers scrapbooking home decor warehouse outlet questions please call 9058304444 ext 5746 or visit wwwyorkca our full line of everyday seasonal stickers 400 cochrane drive markham rear of bldg 1 9054756771 open year round mondayfriday 96 saturday 94 and sunday 104