The Florida Aquarium provides educational opportunities about the animals that inhabit our oceans and focus on key conservation efforts including animal health, reduction of plastics in our waterways, and habitat restoration. Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful facilitates cleanups, waste removal, recycling, and outreach to promote a culture of environmental stewardship. Both of these organizations partner together on water restoration and cleanup efforts to ensure that our waterways can continue to thrive.
The grant tonight will be used to support The Florida Aquarium and Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful to continue to fulfill their missions. The Florida Aquarium will use the funding to help further their work in their Coral Conservation Program. The Florida Aquarium's Coral Conservation Program is effectively addressing the coral crisis facing the Florida Reef Tract. They hope to continue to protect species that are approaching or are at risk of extinction in the wild, increase coral reproduction rates, advance coral health and restore the Florida Reef Tract. Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful will use the funds to enhance their Hillsborough Trash Free Waters Program, which acts to create more sustainable communities by counteracting negligent behaviors and preventing activities that pose water quality issues and habitat concerns in Florida.
The Florida Aquarium and Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful became the 498th 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 $26.05 million to more than 600 unique nonprofits in the Greater Tampa Bay area. During the summer of 2021, the Viniks announced the community hero program will give away another $10 million over the next five seasons.
