TAMPA, FL – The Tampa Bay Lightning honored Irene Weiss and Margot Benstock as the Lightning Community Heroes this evening during the first period of tonight’s game against the Ottawa Senators. Weiss and Benstock, who received a $50,000 donation from the Lightning Foundation and the Lightning Community Hero program, presented by Jabil, will donate the money to the Florida Holocaust Museum.
Both Weiss and Benstock both played an integral role in securing the Florida Holocaust Museum’s newest Holocaust artifact. Weiss and Benstock each have parents who escaped the Holocaust due to the heroism of people in Denmark and worked diligently with museum staff to locate, purchase, transport, and deliver the Danish Rescue boat that was pivotal to the survival of so many. This boat was one of 300 fishing boats that smuggled 7,200 Jews, which was more than 90% of that population in Denmark at that time. Both Weiss and Benstock continue to serve as volunteers for the museum.
The funds from tonight’s grant will be used to support the mission of The Florida Holocaust Museum. Specifically, the funding will help the museum to continue to educate members of all races and cultures as to the inherent worth and dignity of human life. With the support of this grant, the museum will be completing the first phase of a new collection, as well as serve approximately 30,000 students.
Weiss and Benstock became the 616th Lightning Community Heroes since the Vinik Family 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 $33.17 million to nearly 775 unique nonprofits in the Greater Tampa Bay area. During the summer of 2021, the Vinik Family announced that the Community Hero program would continue its commitment with an additional $10 million through the 2025-26 season. Upon joining the ownership group of the Tampa Bay Lightning in October 2024, Doug Ostrover, Marc Lipschultz, and their families have teamed up with the Vinik Family to contribute to the program and ensure its continued success and lasting impact across the Tampa Bay community.
