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Eye Ball Gala Raises More Than $150,000 for Eye Transplants

November 14, 2011

 
Jason Woody, president and
CEO of the Lions Eye Institute
for Transplant & Research, left, presents Florida Senator Steve Oelrich with the 2011 Light of
Sight Award at the 2011 Eye
Ball Gala in Tampa, Florida.
TAMPA, Fla.—Hundreds of people gathered here last month to help raise more than $150,000 at the 2011 Eye Ball Gala in support of the Lions Eye Institute for Transplant & Research (LEITR) and its mission to give the gift of sight. The gala, held at Raymond James Stadium Refined, brought LEITR one step closer to unlocking the cure for blindness. During the night’s festivities, guests heard testimonials from people who have lost loved ones that made the brave decision to be an organ donor. As the night progressed, guests also heard from grateful recipients that have regained their sight thanks to a corneal transplant and LEITR’s research.

“My son always wanted to help others and we were so proud of his choice to be an organ donor,” said Florida state senator Steve Oelrich. “We experienced a tragic loss but we found hope through the many others who got the chance to live.”

There are more than 45 million blind and visually impaired people across the globe, according to LEITR. Because of the overwhelming support from its donors and sponsors, LEITR will be able to increase research and corneal transplants.

“People may know about visual impairments and blindness but many may not know how they can help,” said Jason Woody, president and CEO of LEITR. “We were so thankful to the speakers, guests and sponsors who came out to the 2011 gala and made the night such a success.”  ■
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