WALLINGFORD - Dozens of residents and those from area communities will be traveling to remote parts of the Dominican Republic this summer as part of a charity effort and mission work, but before they can go, they must raise enough money.

This year, students are getting creative and turning the largest fundraiser into an evening of dinner, entertainment, shopping and music.

"Life in Their Shoes" is the title for the eight annual Dominican Republic Mission Team Fundraiser, to be held Saturday, February 28, at Sheehan High School.

"It has grown into a huge community event where it's kind of like a reunion almost," said organizer John Powers, member of First Baptist Church, the original sponsor of the annual trips which began in 1990.

Some 900 people attended last year's event. The mission team is planning for an even bigger show with a spoof Oprah-style TV talk show and music from the Southern Connecticut State University's Symphonic Band.

The event will also include a photo exhibit of pictures taken in the area by town native and Choate Rosemary Hall alum Nathan Wasilewski. A senior at Cornell University, Wasilewski has visited the Dominican Republic four times as part of the mission team.

He was awarded a grant from the Cornell Council of the Arts to fund an exhibit at the school which will be on display at Sheehan Saturday.

"I wanted to show the subjects naturally, and none of the images were staged," Wasilewski said. The exhibit titled "Faces of a People: Dominican Republic Sugar Cane Laborers" captures the essence of the work done on the trips, Powers said.