Vernon Ellinger honored as Lightning Community Hero

TAMPA BAY - The Tampa Bay Lightning honored Vernon Ellinger as the 16th Lightning Community Hero this season during the first period of tonight's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Ellinger, 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 Friends of Joshua House Foundation, The Crisis Center, Children's Dream Fund and the Straz Center for the Performing Arts.

Ellinger has long had a heart for volunteerism and public service, especially for children and families in need around the Tampa Bay Area. He's dedicated thousands of hours to supporting a variety of local non-profit charities for many years, including Joshua House, an organization that serves as a safe haven for abused, neglected and abandoned children.
From using his business background to help with financial modeling, to his recent work at Joshua House physically cleaning every room, office and common area across their 11-acre property during renovations. Vernon has impacted countless lives for the better and has been a shining light for the Tampa Bay community.
Ellinger becomes the 427th Lightning Community Heroes 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 this evening's game, in total, the Lightning Foundation has granted $22.3 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.