TAMPA, FL – The Tampa Bay Lightning honored Philip Martin as the Lightning Community Hero this evening during the first period of tonight’s game against the New Jersey Devils. Martin, who received a $50,000 donation from the Lightning Foundation and the Lightning Community Heroes program, presented by Jabil, will donate the money to Learning Independence for Tomorrow (LiFT).
Working as a job coach and mentor for the LiFT University Transition Program over the past six years, Martin has impacted the futures of students by preparing them for the workforce. He leads a life devoted to serving others and is always looking for ways to meet their needs. With his business experience, he is uniquely able to help students engage in mock interviews, share advice on appropriate dress, and eye contact. Most importantly, Martin is able to provide a patient moral compass to the developing young adults at LiFT. On top of being a teacher, he is also the coach of the LiFT U basketball team. In and out of the classroom, Martin has become a positive influence and role model for those he serves.
The funds from tonight’s grant will be used to continue to further and expand the mission of LiFT. Specifically, the grant will allow LiFT to continue to invest in its microbusinesses, which offer students social, vocational, and critical thinking skills, as well as risk-taking, time management, customer service, leadership, and interpersonal skills, thus making them more valuable employees. The use for this funding is unique because it empowers individuals with unique abilities to lead more fulfilling, independent lives, while also providing a means for financial sustainability thru microbusinesses.
Martin became the 568th 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 $30.77 million to nearly 750 unique nonprofits in the Greater Tampa Bay area. During the summer of 2021, the Viniks announced that the Community Hero program will give away another $10 million over the next five seasons.
