Local sports clubs honored as Lightning Community Heroes

TAMPA BAY - The Tampa Bay Lightning honored the First Tee of Tampa Bay and the Positive Coaching Alliance-Tampa Bay as the 37th Lightning Community Heroes this season during the first period of tonight's Game 7 matchup against the New York Islanders. Staff members from the First Tee of Tampa Bay and coaches and mentors from the Positive Coaching Alliance-Tampa Bay, 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 First Tee of Tampa Bay and the Positive Coaching Alliance-Tampa Bay.

The two local non-profits selected for tonight's community hero award give local youth the opportunity to get outside and be active, enjoying recreational activities and physical fitness. At the First Tee of Tampa Bay, young people participate in educational programs that build character, instill positive values and promote healthy life choices through the sport of golf. They serve more than 70,000 children annually, helping them grow on and off the golf course.
At the Positive Coaching Alliance - Tampa Bay, they help to build young athletes through character development, where coaching focuses more on life lessons than wins and losses. Through mentors working with local youth, they instill a strong culture and progressive leadership across leagues and schools. The coaches and mentors are building the next generation through youth sports and strong leadership.
The First Tee of Tampa Bay and the Positive Coaching Alliance-Tampa Bay becomes the 448th 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 $23.35 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.