TAMPA, FL – The Tampa Bay Lightning honored Phyllis Guthman as the Lightning Community Hero this evening during the first period of tonight’s game against the Nashville Predators. Guthman, who received a $50,000 donation from the Lightning Foundation and the Lightning Community Hero program, presented by Jabil, will donate the money to MacDonald Training Center.

Guthman has been a fierce advocate for individuals with disabilities for a large part of her life. After her son started showing signs of cognitive delay in the 1990s, she made it her mission to support and advocate for those individuals as well as provide resources for their families. When Guthman joined MacDonald Training Center in 2022, the roots of CommUNITY Works, a unique and comprehensive partnership of educators, employers, and agencies, were planted. With the CommUNITY Works program, Guthman and MacDonald Training Center are paving pathways to careers instead of a lifetime of entry level jobs for disabled jobseekers. The program provides globally accredited, high-quality education, personal skills development, and work experiences with customized supplemental supports.

The funds from tonight’s grant will be used to expand MacDonald Training Center’s CommUNITY Works program. They hope by increasing participation in these programs they can help break the cycle of poverty for those with disabilities, as those with a disability are five times more likely to be unemployed than those without.

Guthman became the 595th 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 $32.12 million to nearly 750 unique nonprofits in the Greater Tampa Bay area. During the summer of 2021, the Vinik family announced that the Community Hero program will contribute another $10 million over the next five seasons.