TAMPA, FL – The Tampa Bay Lightning honored Jamielynn Monte as the Lightning Community Hero this evening during the first period of tonight’s game against the San Jose Sharks. Monte, who received a $50,000 donation from the Lightning Foundation and the Lightning Community Heroes program, presented by Jabil, will donate the money to the Police Athletic League.
Police officers are often called upon during trying and difficult times – they are the first people to run into trouble as most people try to flee it. Corporal Monte understood this when she decided to join the police department, and quickly realized just how vital having positive community relations is. In 2020, Corporal Monte partnered with the Police Athletic League (PAL) to find a way to improve relations between law enforcement and our community in the aftermath of nationwide unrest. Since then, she has introduced numerous programs to improve relations between law enforcement and our community, including the “Shop with a Cop” program. Since launching the program three years ago, the program has grown to support over 100 students by buying new school clothing for economically disadvantaged children and pairing them to shop with members of our local police departments. Additionally, she has created anti-bullying programming; providing life skills to equip kids with the tools they need to combat online and face-to-face bullying.
Police Athletic League will use the funding to continue mentoring and tutoring programs that pair officers with children aged 6-13. Recently the Tampa Police Department took over the primary responsibility for implementing the After School/Summer and Athletic programs for the organization. With this grant, PAL will expand the athletic component of the program and create three organized sports programs for children in the community (golf, soccer, and flag football).
Monte became the 552nd 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 $29.97 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.
