Lions World Vision Institute

12/25/2025

Merry Christmas from your friends at Lions World Vision Institute!

Each year, we ask children from the Hillsborough County Public Schools Very Important People Who Are Visually Impaired People (VIP2) program to submit artwork for our annual holiday art contest. Our staff selects the winner, and their art is featured on the Lions World Vision Institute’s official holiday card.

This year's winner is Christopher!

He is in third grade and his visual impairment is Strabismus. "Christopher is an amazing boy with the sweetest heart! He loves Christmas and he loves to draw."

We are honored to share Christopher's creation with you.

12/22/2025

Today, Jenn wakes up each morning with renewed independence and joy, and with the letter from Shaun’s family by her bedside. It reminds her of the young man whose generosity transformed her life and restored her freedom.

Her eye color may be the same, but the lens through which she sees the world has changed forever.

This is the power of eye donation.
This is the impact of compassion.
This is what your generosity makes possible.

As we close the year, you can help carry this legacy forward. Your support ensures more families, like Jenn’s and Shaun’s, experience stories of healing, connection, and hope 💙

👉 Make your year-end gift today: https://give.classy.org/seethejoyofgiving2025

12/19/2025

Today marked an exciting milestone for Lions World Vision Institute as we officially broke ground on our new Vision Health Center in Ybor City. 🏗️

Set to open in 2027, the $16 million, pediatric-focused center will expand access to essential vision care for uninsured and underinsured children and families across Hillsborough County and the Tampa Bay region.

We were proud to be joined by LWVI leadership, including
Jason K. Woody, President & CEO and Mike Griffin, Board Chair, along with community leaders and elected officials U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, Mayor Jane Castor, Hillsborough County Commissioner Chair Ken Hagan and Commissioner Harry Cohen; Councilmember Naya Young; St. Petersburg Council Member Copley Gerdes, and our valued partners.

🔗 Read the full press release: https://bit.ly/4aWNWKW

12/17/2025

Shaun is the young man who changed Jenn’s life forever.

After months of uncertainty and unanswered pain, Jenn finally learned she needed a corneal transplant. That healing came from a 23-year-old donor in Colorado whose adventurous spirit lives on through the gift of sight.

Through the aftercare program offered by all eye banks, Jenn connected with Shaun’s family by writing a letter. Their reply was filled with stories about his love for nature and adventure, and that his most defining feature was his big, beautiful blue eyes.

A detail Jenn will never forget. Stories like this remind us why donation matters 💙

Eye donation saves and restores lives every day. When you support our mission, you help ensure more families, like Jenn’s and Shaun’s, can experience healing, connection, and hope.

Help us honor the gift of sight: https://give.classy.org/seethejoyofgiving2025

12/16/2025

As part of the longstanding tradition, LWVI staff members help make the season brighter by selecting a “heart” representing a child and their holiday gift wish. This year LWVI staff fulfilled wishes for 42 VIP² students, helping ensure every child feels valued and celebrated.

In partnership with Hillsborough County Public Schools, the VIP² Holiday Party honors Very Important People who are Visually Impaired People (VIP²). This year's event took place at McLane Middle School in Brandon and brought together students, educators, families, and community partners to create an environment where visually impaired children feel celebrated, supported, and empowered.

Through initiatives like VIP², LWVI champions early intervention, education, and community engagement, which are core pillars of the LWVI Foundation’s mission. By fostering connection and building confidence among young students with visual impairments, the program reinforces our belief that every child deserves the opportunity to see their world clearly and participate fully in school, play, and life.

12/12/2025

Today we’re honored to share a story that reminds us just how far a single gift can reach.

The Legacy of Loni and the Ripple Effect of Sight is more than a tale about a pioneering artist, it’s a testament to resilience, reinvention, and the power of one person’s restored vision to inspire millions.

Needlepoint may be a quiet craft, but in the hands of Loni Smith, known as Jo Ippolito Christensen, it became a global movement. Her 1976 Needlepoint Book reshaped the field and remains its leading resource nearly 50 years later.

Behind her success is a lesser-known story of fading vision, determination, and the lifesaving gift of corneal transplants.

Diagnosed with keratoconus at 28, Loni’s eyesight deteriorated until stitching became impossible. She even wrote her first edition while battling pain and limited sight.

Between 1979 and 2005, she underwent several corneal surgeries, before eye banks and national sharing systems existed, often traveling on short notice for the chance to regain her vision. One unforgettable moment followed a transplant: stepping outside and seeing individual leaves for the first time in years.

With her sight restored, she revised The Needlepoint Book, bringing modern materials, global techniques, and fresh design principles to stitchers around the world. Her influence continues to shape the craft today.

Thanks to today’s advances, more people receive this same gift with better outcomes. And at the heart of every transplant is someone who said yes.

Now a registered donor, Loni says, “Because someone said yes, I got my life back. And I got to help others find theirs, too.”

12/11/2025

When the light fades, hope matters more than ever.

The Florida sun shimmered across the water the day Jenn set out paddle boarding, a beloved activity she assumed would be like any other time. She had no idea that a microscopic organism, Acanthamoeba, would soon steal her vision and turn her world upside down.

What followed was months of excruciating pain, blurred vision, and complete light sensitivity. Jenn visited 14 doctors, desperate for answers.

For someone who once loved the outdoors, even stepping outside became unbearable. She lived behind blackout curtains, unable to drive or work, clinging to hope that relief would come.

Jenn’s world grew dark. But her determination never did.

Jenn kept searching for answers and eventually, she found one, along with a glimmer of hope.

Over the next two weeks, we invite you to follow Jenn’s journey. Her story is a powerful reminder of why the gift of sight matters, and why your support of eye donation awareness makes a profound difference.

As we launch our End-of-Year Giving series, we’re sharing Jenn’s journey to shed light on the importance of sight restoration and the hope that donation provides.

We invite you to follow along her story, stay tuned for Part 2, and learn more about our mission: https://giving.classy.org/campaign/746147/donate

12/04/2025

Thank you to Bloom host and LWVI Foundation Board Member Gayle Guyardo for an excellent interview with our President & CEO Jason K. Woody, highlighting a major milestone for Lions World Vision Institute, the launch of our new Vision Health Center in Ybor City, set to break ground in a few weeks.

In the conversation, Jason shared how this first-of-its-kind center will expand access to essential vision care and serve as a model for community-driven innovation in eye health.

🎥 Watch the interview to hear more about what this means for Tampa Bay and the future of vision care, .

https://www.wfla.com/bloom-tampa-bay/giving-the-gift-of-sight-lions-world-vision-institute-breaks-ground-on-new-vision-health-center-in-tampa/

WFLA News Channel 8

BLOOM (TAMPA) – Lions World Vision Institute (LWVI) is taking a major step toward transforming eye care for underserved communities in Tampa Bay. President and CEO Jason Woody joined Gayle Gu…

12/04/2025

Each year, Ascension Sacred Heart Bay, LifeNet Health, LifeQuest Organ Recovery Services, and Lions World Vision Institute come together to honor the extraordinary families of organ, tissue, and eye donors at the annual Christmas Tree of Life celebration in Panama City, Florida.

As one donor mother shared: “It gives me a good feeling to know that my son lives on other people and that he loved helping and that’s why I wanted to be a donor,”** donor, mother, and recipient, Deborah Booker said.

Families gathered in Ascension Sacred Heart Bay’s Healing Garden Atrium to place handmade ornaments, each one representing a loved one who gave the gift of life. The evening included a short program, reflections from partner organizations, and moments of connection that brought comfort and hope during the holiday season.

Those in attendance spoke of the deep sense of community this event creates, and the shared commitment to continuing this meaningful tradition for years to come.

A beautiful reminder that through donation, love truly lives on. 🎄💙

Watch the beautiful story on WJHG-TV:

Annual memorial event brings families together to remember loved ones who gave gift of life

12/04/2025

We are honored to welcome Yvette Segura to the Lions World Vision Institute Board of Directors, a leader whose connection to donation is both personal and profound. As a living kidney donor, Yvette embodies the compassion, service, and humanity at the heart of our mission.

A highly accomplished senior executive, Yvette brings decades of leadership in strategy, culture, governance, and ESG. As a former Regional Vice President at USAA, she led a 4,000-employee Florida operation, strengthened organizational culture, elevated workforce engagement, and helped position the company as an employer of choice for both civilian and post-military professionals. Her influence extends across Tampa Bay, where she has served as Chair of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, held leadership roles with the University of Tampa and University of South Florida, and supported numerous nonprofits focused on youth, equity, and community advancement.

From LWVI CEO, Jason Woody:
“We are thrilled to welcome Yvette to the LWVI Board of Directors. Yvette brings a powerful combination of strategic insight and people-centered leadership that aligns beautifully with our mission to empower individuals with vision impairment. Yvette’s expertise will help strengthen our internal capabilities, elevate our organizational culture, and ensure we continue delivering mission-driven impact at the highest level.”

From Yvette Segura:
“It is an honor to be selected to the board of Lions World Vision Institute. I have long admired their work to preserve and restore sight through scientific excellence and compassionate human connections. As a living kidney donor, I am proud to align with an organization whose mission reflects my lifelong commitment to service, compassion, and community. I am eager to begin contributing to the vital work of this organization and helping to guide LWVI through its next phase of service and impact.”

Please join us in welcoming Yvette Segura to the LWVI Board. Her leadership strengthens our mission, and her personal commitment to donation inspires us all .

12/03/2025

Because of your generosity on yesterday, more students will step into their classrooms with confidence, not held back by blurry words on a page or faces they can’t quite make out. You helped unlock clarity, learning, and joy for children who simply needed a chance to see.

Your gift means that a child who once struggled to keep up can now read the board, spot a friend across the playground, and look into the future with possibility. You didn’t just donate, you delivered potential, dignity, and a new view of the world.

Thanks to you:
- Children in Title I schools will receive essential vision screenings
- Those who need them will receive their very first pair of glasses (or update
their prescription)
- Students will be able to learn, participate, and thrive with confidence
- Families will feel hope knowing their children are supported

It’s more than glasses, it’s independence. It’s opportunity. And it starts with you.

On behalf of the students whose lives will be clearer, brighter, and filled with joy because of your kindness, thank you.

We look forward to sharing the stories and smiles you helped make possible.

12/02/2025

⏰ Final hours to See the Joy of Giving!

As Giving Tuesday comes to a close, we’re filled with gratitude and determination. Every $50 helps a child receive glasses — and until midnight, your gift contributes to this cause! 👓💛

There’s still time to make your impact and help more children see the joy of life.

Donate now: give.classy.org/seethejoyofgiving