TAMPA, FL – The Tampa Bay Lightning honored Christopher Littlewood as the Lightning Community Hero this evening during the first period of tonight’s game against the Anaheim Ducks. Littlewood, who received a $50,000 donation from the Lightning Foundation and the Lightning Community Hero program, presented by Jabil, will donate the money to the Association of Late Deafened Adults (ALDA) and Family Center on Deafness (FCD).
Littlewood has been steadily involved with Florida’s deaf and hard of hearing community for almost three decades. As he began to suffer genetic hearing loss in his 20’s, he pivoted his career journey to educate and enhance communication with those with varying degrees of hearing loss. Specifically, he has taken on a vital role in the area to help educate the area of inclusive emergency planning and preparedness for people with disabilities. Through his work with ALDA and the FCD, along with his role at St. Petersburg College, he has helped the community make strides in inclusive trainings and emergency response preparedness.
The funds from tonight’s grant will be used to support the unique missions of both ALDA and FCS. ALDA will use the funding to expand access to their programming. This will include support for recovery from the 2024 Hurricane season and training efforts for inclusive public safety and working with local emergency management for future hurricanes and disasters. FCD will use the funds to help in their recovery from Hurricane Milton, so they can return to their typical programming.
Littlewood became the 611th Lightning Community Hero since the Vinik Family 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 $32.92 million to nearly 775 unique nonprofits in the Greater Tampa Bay area. During the summer of 2021, the Vinik Family announced that the Community Hero program would continue its commitment with an additional $10 million through the 2025-26 season. Upon joining the ownership group of the Tampa Bay Lightning in October 2024, Doug Ostrover, Marc Lipschultz, and their families have teamed up with the Vinik Family to contribute to the program and ensure its continued success and lasting impact across the Tampa Bay community.
