A few days before Halloween 2019, several Nashville Predators were making their way down the hallway at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. With bright smiles on their faces and bags of goodies in tow, they were visiting that day to help brighten the spirits of many children who were not able to be home for Halloween.
The Predators' Foundation mission is to build philanthropic partnerships within the community to successfully leverage the unique assets and skills of the entire organization to improve the lives of youth and their families. The Foundation's vision is to use their distinctive set of assets to support the youth and their families in the community that they call home.
“We’ve always been fortunate to have good ties with the community and our fans in Nashville," says Forward Colton Sissons. “Attending the Predators Foundation events and being able to help the community is a big part of what it means to be in this organization. It’s a real honor for us to be a part of this and help bring some happiness to the lives of others.” Colton adds, “The charity holiday party is probably one of the most rewarding things I’ve been involved with since starting my career here. It has been a bit different the last couple of years because of Covid, but it’s always fun to shop for the kids and see them open their gifts.”
Defenseman Roman Josi agrees. "When I first got here, I learned that everyone in the organization takes a lot of pride in being involved in the community and helping people. The players love getting out in the Nashville community and the Predators Foundation does such a good job helping us make those connections. I have met so many amazing people and built friendships and relationships with people all over the community. I love doing any of the Foundation events but the ones that always stand out to me are any with Best Buddies,” says Roman. “They’re so much fun and always inspire me.”
Predators players spending heartfelt time with children in our community is just one of the many ways the Foundation gives back. Rebecca King, the Foundation’s Vice President, Community Relations, explains. “The Predators Foundation gives out 2.5 million dollars per year and we have to self-raise. We put on golf tournaments, wine tastings, beer festivals, dinners, fashion shows, bowling tournaments, and host a clay shoot with Mike Fisher. All the money raised goes right back into our community.”
She adds that since inception in 1998, the Preds Foundation has distributed over 20 million dollars to the middle Tennessee community. “We also highlight Hockey Fights Cancer in November, Hockey is for Everyone month in February, Pride month, Hispanic Heritage month, military salute week, and a myriad of other initiatives also recognized by the entire NHL.”
In addition, members of the Foundation’s Board of Directors select four organizations as Feature Charities. These charities receive a special awareness night at a Preds home game. They collect an item of need at the main entrances, accept donations, and have a platform to tell their story to fans. The Foundation’s 2021-2022 featured charities are Nashville Dolphins, Nashville Tree Foundation, Pinson Hospital Hospitality House, and Salvus Center.
Rebecca notes that in addition to annual donations made to charities, the Foundation, in conjunction with SmileDirectClub, also awards SuperGrants, made specifically to organizations dedicated to helping individuals during times of transition. “Each season, we award $250,000 to four-five local non-profits that are impacting the lives of others. Some of these organizations include Maple Built, Monroe Harding, Nashville Adult Literacy Council, and Retrieving
Independence,” says Rebecca. “When a tragedy does strike, such as the 2020 tornado and Christmas bombing in downtown Nashville, or flooding in 2021, we pivot in a day to set up our arena as a command center or collect donations of supplies and funds. Thanksgiving 2020 we delivered turkey baskets with MNPD to families still impacted by the 2020 tornadoes. We are also focused on Waverly and ways to help as they rebuild over the next few years. We see what an amazing platform we have and leverage that as much as we can. Our outreach is very broad and all-encompassing so we can reach all of middle Tennessee.” NashvillePredators.com/Foundation