Dr. Cameron Tebbi honored as Lightning Community Hero

TAMPA BAY - The Tampa Bay Lightning honored Dr. Cameron Tebbi as the 35th Lightning Community Hero this season today at 1 Voice Foundation in Brandon, Florida. Dr. Tebbi, who received a $50,000 donation from the Lightning Foundation and the Lightning Community Heroes program, will donate to 1Voice Foundation. Despite the NHL pause, the Lightning will continue to honor the final Community Heroes of the season, including today's at 1 Voice Foundation. Each week the Lightning will travel to the hero's charity of choice to honor the great work done by the chosen Heroes. The Community Hero check presentation will also be attended by a representative of Jabil, who is the sponsor of the Lightning Community Hero suite and program.

Dr. Tebbi, a leader in the pediatric cancer research community, has dedicated the last 50 years of his life to saving children who are battling cancer and sickle cell disorders. After years of research, Dr. Tebbi made advancements in developing a vaccine for leukemia and created a protein that allows doctors to tell which child is more likely to develop cancer. Dr. Tebbi's contributions have positively impacted Tampa Bay families by improving medical treatments and the quality of life for pediatric cancer patients.

In addition, Dr. Tebbi serves as the Director of Scientific Research at 1Voice Foundation, Tampa's only private pediatric cancer research lab. Dr. Tebbi volunteers over 60 hours a week conducting research at the lab and has provided outreach to nearly 800 families. Dr. Tebbi has served on over 30 national committees to improve the treatment, policies and programs for pediatric cancer patients.

Dr. Tebbi becomes the 400th 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 today's presentation, in total, the Lightning Foundation has granted $20.15 million to more than 750 different nonprofits in the Greater Tampa Bay area. During the summer of 2016, the Vinik's announced that the community hero program will give away another $10 million over the next five seasons.