Our Lightning Community Hero, Bill Edwards!

Introduced in the 2011-2012 season by the Vinik Family, the Lightning Community Hero program has honored hundreds of patrons of the community, with Bill Edwards being the 610th honoree. 

Taking place during the first period of the January 9, 2025 game against the Boston Bruins, Bill Edwards was honored not only with recognition, but with a $50,000 donation from the Lightning Foundation and the Lightning Community Hero program, presented by Jabil. This donation will go toward supporting the Bill Edwards Foundation for the Arts mission and programming, such as Class Acts and their live performances, BAM! Festivals, and community outreach. 

The Class Acts Program provides field trip experiences and a series of summer theater camps that offer students opportunities to access their creativity outside the traditional classroom. The field trips include live performances where the kids get to enjoy shows with a variety of different educational themes, and get an escape from the classroom while still being able to learn about the world at large. BAM! Fest is an interactive, outdoor arts festival featuring Books, Art, and Music. BAM! Fest offers Pre-K to 12th-grade students various activities, including book giveaways, hands-on art projects, musical instruction, acting workshops, painting, improv, dancing, singing, costume creation, and safety lessons. The program also provides transportation scholarships to ensure accessibility for all students, scholarships that are funded through donations like this from the Tampa Bay Lighting and the Lightning Foundation.

“Through [the January 9th] game, in total, the Lightning Foundation has granted $32.87 million to over 760 unique nonprofits in the Greater Tampa Bay area.” (Tampa Bay Lightning) The honoring of notable individuals in the community happens at every home game in our very own Amalie Arena. Other honorees from the 2023-2024 season include Yvonne Fry, Derrick Cooper, and Phyllis Guthman all of whom have been serving their communities for years.

For more information, visit the Tampa Bay Lightning Community Hero Press Release linked here.