Dollar has served as a professor at MacDonald Training Center since 2017, and has been making meaningful impact through education. He has opened up the worlds of technology and logistics to neurodiverse and deaf students, giving them the skills they need for careers, not just a lifetime of entry-level jobs. Professor Dollar was recently awarded with the 2022 Outstanding Community Service Award by the Alliance for Citizens with Disabilities for his dedication and commitment to the full inclusion of citizens with disabilities throughout Hillsborough County.
The grant tonight will be used to support career readiness training for neurodiverse adults in MTC's eMerge Career Collaborative. This program offers transformational, certificate-based job training aligned with employment opportunities in four high-growth sectors of the economy: technology, manufacturing, healthcare and hospitality. Each track leads to an industry-standard certification, thus assisting neurodiverse adults find meaningful and sustainable job opportunities.
Dollar became the 513th 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 $28.02 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.
