Donahey was faced with an unexpected and sudden blindness but he chose to not allow a lack of vision to keep him from living life to its fullest. With the support of Lighthouse of Pinellas, an organization that supports the blind and visually impaired by addressing the physical, mental and social challenges associated with vision loss, he regained his independence and confidence.
Donahey has made it his mission to volunteer his time and expertise helping at-risk youth around the Tampa Bay Area in and out of the courtroom with his law background. He worked as a judge for more than 45 years and is now helping those who need legal advice most. Joe changed the life trajectory of more than 1,000 children in the Tampa Bay region. Through the Judges in Schools Program that he envisioned and created, children did better in school, had less truancy, graduated high school, avoided risky behaviors and developed stronger relationships with their parents, teachers, and other caregivers in their lives.
Donahey becomes the 436th 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 $22.75 million to more than 750 different nonprofits in the Greater Tampa Bay area. During the summer of 2016, the Viniks announced that the community hero program will give away another $10 million over the next five seasons.
