Ashly Delaney honored as Lightning Community Hero

TAMPA, FL – The Tampa Bay Lightning honored Ashly Delaney as the Lightning Community Hero this evening during the first period of tonight’s game against the Detroit Red Wings. Delaney, who received a $50,000 donation from the Lightning Foundation and the Lightning Community Hero program, presented by Jabil, will donate the money to Sunrise of Pasco.

As the Chief Programs Officer at Sunrise of Pasco, Delaney has been steadfastly dedicated to supporting survivors of domestic abuse. She oversees all programs, and their staff, that Sunrise provides, and was an instrumental part in bringing Camp HOPE programming to the Tampa Bay area. The first year of Camp HOPE, Delaney was able to serve as supervisory staff and was moved seeing the campers come out of their shells and show who they truly are. Since that time, she has supported the camp and staff in developing year-round Pathway events, as well as supporting whatever was needed by way of supplies for the camp, checking in families at drop-off, being an on-call contact for families, and facilitating debriefs with staff.

The funds from tonight’s grant will be used to support the mission of Sunrise of Pasco. Specifically, the funding would help sponsor 12 to 15 children to attend Camp HOPE, which is the first camping and mentoring initiative in the United States that focuses on children exposed to domestic violence. During camp, children receive evidence-based curriculum designed to aid in their healing journey, as well as experience outdoor adventures meant to help them identify risks they are willing to try and recognize when they have reached their limits. Additionally, Camp HOPE offers regular Pathway events, which is a year-round mentorship experience for kids with the goal of reducing the long-term impacts of trauma by focusing on hope and resilience.

Delaney became the 584^th 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 $31.57 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.