For the blind and visually impaired, The Blind Center of North Carolina, located close to home in Washington, is a vital resource.

The center specializes in master craftsmanship, with sighted and visually impaired volunteers working side by side on projects, such as chair caning, basket weaving, bead packaging and crocheting. Many of these works of art are for sale to the public in the center’s gift shop.

To promote its services and the resources it offers, The Blind Center is opening its doors Friday night for visitors to have a hearty Italian meal, enjoy a RiverSong Trio performance and interact with one another, as part of the inaugural “Dinner and Concert for a Cause.”

“Basically the heart and vision is to be able to introduce people to The Blind Center,” Executive Director Liz Liles said. “Maybe they’ve never been inside the center and seen what we do.”

Sponsored by Stuart O’Neal (Edward Jones), Athletic Edge and Chris Respess (United Country), the dinner and concert event is one of about four fundraisers The Blind Center will host this year. Liles said the center is not eligible for state or federal funds, so local fundraising is paramount to its success.

“This is just one of many steps we’re going to be taking to increase our funds,” Liles said. “They are vital. The fundraisers that we have here are our lifeline.”

She said fundraising helps the center maintain its current programs, but it will also help with updating technology and adding onto the services already offered.

The nearest location with the same level of services for the blind and visually impaired is in Raleigh, so Liles said it is important to keep The Blind Center growing and helping people in Washington, as well as eastern North Carolina as a whole.

“We are in the process of wanting to expand our programming,” she said. “There’s just a huge potential here that we can be able to grow this and just to reach more people.”

Tickets for Friday night’s “Dinner and Concert for a Cause” are sold out, but the center welcomes donations, Liles added.

Donations may be mailed to The Blind Center, P.O. Box 941, Washington, N.C. 27889, or brought to the center at 221 N. Harvey St., Washington.