Tampa, Fla. (September 20, 2017) Jason Woody began his career as a nurse in Hillsborough County. His passion for helping others led him to the Lions Eye Institute for Transplant & Research (LEITR) where he became president in 1996.

Woody is the newest face in the Ybor City Development Corporation’s video web series Faces of Ybor. The two-minute testimonials share inspiring stories from people who thrive in Ybor City. The series includes topics on education, redevelopment, new businesses and much more.

The LEITR program started in 1973 to help the blind and visually impaired

“Since our inception, we have brought the gift of sight to about 75,000 men, women and children around the globe” Woody said.

LEITR covers 61 of the 67 counties in Florida for donation and eye recovery. As of February 2017, the LEITR acquired International Sight Restoration to increase their global reach to about 80 countries, nearly half the world.

Located inside one of the last remaining historic brick buildings in Ybor City, the building had been used as a cigar factory, a casket company, and was at one point abandoned for close to 10 years. It has since been restored and is now home to one of the only combined eye bank and ocular research centers in the world.

“We wanted to go back to a community feel,” Woody says. “That’s where our program was started, as far as when the Lion’s Club was serving the local community, and we know that’s exactly the roots of Ybor City.”

About the Lions Eye Institute

The Lions Eye Institute for Transplant & Research, Inc., (LEITR) is a nonprofit, charitable organization dedicated to the recovery, evaluation and distribution of eye tissue for transplantation, research and education. For more information, visit www.lionseyeinstitute.org.