Panthers, Lightning Staff Team Up to Help Hurricane-Ravaged Immokalee

IMMOKALEE, Fla. -Driving through parts of Immokalee, Fla., there are many things you see that would lead you to believe that Hurricane Irma had only recently ravaged the rural, agricultural city that borders the Everglades.

More than four months since the storm made landfall and carved its way up through South Florida, the scars it left behind are still visible everywhere you look. There are blue-tarped roofs and broken fences, boarded up windows and piles of debris that have yet to be collected. Mold and mildew grow unchecked.
These homes should be uninhabited, but instead often house multiple families - for now.
On Tuesday, the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, NHLPA and NHL teamed up with Habitat for Humanity of Collier County to help with the restoration process by building new homes for those in need. From former players to staff and interns, members from each organization leant a helping hand.
"It's been a real honor to stand side-by-side with these organizations," Panthers President & CEO Matthew Caldwell said. "We already have a few walls up and the progress we've made already is amazing. The feeling of giving back, it goes back to our culture, our vision and what we're trying to do in the community. This only furthers the territory and shows that it is all one territory."
"It's pretty amazing today to be side-by-side with the Lightning, to be side-by-side in the community in Immokalee building houses for people that have been really displaced because of Hurricane Irma," added Lauren Simone, the Executive Director of the Panthers Foundation. "We haven't done anything like this before. It's really the first time that we've been out in the community collaborating, so it's really special."
Shortly after Irma, the Lightning, Panthers, NHL and NHLPA announced a joint donation of $2.7 million for hurricane relief to those affected across the state of Florida. Of those funds, four new Habitat Collier houses will be built in an area of Immokalee known as Faith Landing. As of right now, there are more than 2,000 Habitat Collier families.
With that donation, however, the Panthers also wanted to make sure they weren't only committing dollars to the recovery effort, but also man hours. After sending out an e-mail looking for volunteers, Caldwell said he received so many responses that the organization had to eventually turn away some workers, joking that "we couldn't have the whole company out of the office."

"To roll up the sleeves and give back, it's been really refreshing," Caldwell said. "It's been a jolt to all of us. I think we're getting to a point where we're very clear about what we stand for and are attracting people that want to be a part of that.
"Once they come in, they're that much more motivated because they know what they signed up for. Of course, we're always trying to win on the ice, but we just view our sports franchise as much bigger than that. Wins are very, very important, but we want to be giving back as well."
Throughout the day, more than 50 members of Florida's staff worked side-by-side with volunteers from Tampa Bay, teaming up together to frame walls, hang siding, paint and lay sod. Making sure no one was standing idly by was former Panthers enforcer Shawn Thornton, who also got a kick out of working with his old on-ice rival.
"Nobody's just standing around, everyone's digging it," said Thornton, who now serves as the club's Vice President of Business Operations. "It's been fun to see, especially with the Lightning being here and helping out. We're enemies on the ice, but partner up off of it."

One of the largest producers of tomatoes in the country, thousands of Immokalee's residents work hard, low-paying jobs in the fields. These primarily Mexican, South American and Dominican immigrants often pack entire families into trailers and substandard homes, many of which still in disrepair after Irma.
With the help of Habitat for Humanity, however, they can live a better life for an often-cheaper cost.
"It's been remarkable to watch the work underway," Habitat Collier CEO Lisa Lefkow said. "The result is that families will now have wonderful place to live in their journey to find safe, decent and affordable home opportunities. We're so delighted for these two teams to come together and provide these opportunities."