Since moving to St. Petersburg in 1997, Jackson has selflessly volunteered countless hours to help the area's underserved populations. She has made it her focus on providing equity and access, from serving as a mentor to young girls of color at Academy Prep, to working to find solutions for food, health and housing insecurity at the St. Pete Free Clinic. Kim even took to raising awareness for autism with Autism Shifts when her family was impacted by the disease.
Jackson is fully committed herself to building meaningful community partnerships through education programming, fundraising and board appointments. Through her work with the South Pinellas Autism Project and Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Kim has greatly raised awareness of autism in St. Petersburg. She has been transparent about her journey, challenges and triumphs, and has used her own experiences to educate people along the way. Kim has helped families of children with disabilities get connected with doctors and resources they need to improve the quality of life of their child and family.
Jackson becomes the 439th 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 $23 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.
