Tampa Bay Lightning honor April and May Community Heroes

TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning announced the Lightning Community Heroes for the months of April and May. Each Community Hero received a $50,000 grant from the Lightning Foundation and the Lightning Community Hero program, presented by Jabil, that will be designated to the charities of their choice. 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, the Lightning Foundation has granted $36.37 million to 798 unique nonprofits in the Greater Tampa Bay area. For more information on April and May’s Community Heroes, please click here.

April 2

671st Community Hero: James Bain

Donation Recipients: Innocence Project & All Sports Community Service

April 4

672nd Community Hero: Santosh Govindaraju

Donation Recipients: Art Conservatory for Teens (ACT)

April 13

673rd Community Heroes: Dana Brown and Sarah Roddenberry

Donation Recipients: Best Buddies

April 15

674th Community Hero: Peggie Sherry

Donation Recipients: Faces of Courage

April 19

675th Community Hero: Team MacDill

Donation Recipients: MacDill Air Force Base

April 21

676th Community Hero: Chris Godwin

Donation Recipients: Team Godwin

April 29

677th Community Hero: Declan Farmer

Donation Recipients: Adaptive Hockey

May 3

678th Community Hero: John Bell

Donation Recipients: The Tampa Theatre

About the Community Hero Program

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.

For more information on the Community Hero Program, please click here.