Judge Salcines has been a champion of diversity throughout his life and career. As the first Hispanic prosecuting attorney in Hillsborough County, he made it a personal mission to help break similar barriers for others. Judge Salcines was instrumental in hiring the first African American prosecutor, the first woman prosecutor, and the first prosecutor with disabilities in the county. His fierce commitment has resulted in many advances in the Florida legal community, including: mentoring hundreds of young lawyers to success, instituting critical intervention programs, promoting diversity, championing accessibility and defending human rights.
The grant tonight will be used to support programming for both the Tampa Bay History Center and the Florida Bar Foundation. The Tampa Bay History Center plans to continue to provide experiential learning for all residents of Tampa Bay. The Florida Bar foundation will designate these funds to their Loan Repayment Assistance Program, which provides loans to civil legal aid lawyers employed by qualified civil legal aid providers, which typically provide lower wages. This enables these individuals to continue doing the good work they do while being able to provide for themselves.
Judge Salcines became the 467th 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 $24.45 million to more than 750 different 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.
