Lisa Mann cannot think of a more appropriate way to honor her late husband, Thom, than to raise money for his passion - eye treatment.
"Thom fell into eye care; it was his passion," Mrs. Mann, 45, of Scranton, said. "Raising money in his name is a fitting tribute to him."
Nearly 100 people gathered at the Tripp House on Saturday night to eat, drink and be merry at the eighth annual "Cocktails for a Cause" while raising money for the Lackawanna Branch of the Pennsylvania Association for the Blind and Research to Prevent Blindness, event organizer and optometrist Dr. Rebecca Schoonover said.
Dr. Mann, who died in 2009, was a mentor of Dr. Schoonover before she was an optometrist. This is the second year the event has honored him, and she is hoping that Saturday night built on the success of last year's event, when $3,000 was donated to the two groups. Previous events honored Heather Baker, another eye doctor.
"I wanted to do something positive in their memory," Dr. Schoonover said.
Jennifer Leshuck-Toole, 40, a Scranton resident and close friend of the Mann family, agreed that Saturday night's event was a fitting tribute for Dr. Mann.
"His two great loves were his family and his work," she said.
While Saturday night's event could be thought of as solemn, Dr. Schoonover wanted it to be thought of as a happy occasion.
For a $40 donation, a variety of food from area restaurants was available in the buffet room, while an open bar featured different martinis and beers to help wash it down.
"I also wanted it to be fun," Dr. Schoonover said. "Classy and fun."
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