Payne is the founder of Ready for Life's Team Hope, a group of volunteers that works behind the scenes to better our community. Over the last eight years, Team Hope has helped 100 young adults volunteering collectively over 550 hours. Of those 100 young adults, 30 received furnishing and supplies for their entire apartment and 70 received partial furnishings. Thanks to Payne's dedication to at risk young adults, many have been given the chance to build the foundation of a better life.
The grant tonight will be used to support the mission of Ready for Life, Inc. With the astronomical increase in cost of living in our area, this funding will significantly assist Ready for Life in providing critical resources for youth experiencing homelessness. Specifically, this grant will allow Ready for Life to provide stipends of $1,000 to assist with housing costs, which will assist more families and individuals. Additionally, the funds will help pay for education and employment costs, helping young adults get on their feet.
Payne became the 521st Lightning Community Hero since Jeff and Penny Vinik introduced the Lightning Community Hero program in 2011-12 with a $10 million, five-season commitment to the Tampa Bay community. Through tonight's game, in total, the Lightning Foundation has granted $28.42 million to more than 700 unique nonprofits in the Greater Tampa Bay area. During the summer of 2021, the Viniks announced that the community hero program will give away another $10 million over the next five seasons.
