Preds Foundation Makes Record-Breaking Donation With 2023 Helper Grants

On Wednesday, the Nashville Predators Foundation empowered by SmileDirectClub distributed 172 Helper Grants, totaling $800,049.29 - the largest one-time donation in the Foundation's history - to Nashville and Middle Tennessee-based community service and charitable organizations.

Former Predators players and current broadcasters Hal Gill and Chris Mason emceed the distribution ceremony at Bridgestone Arena. Representatives from all 172 charities receiving grants were in attendance to receive their checks, pose for photos with Gnash and Predators captain Roman Josi, enter a raffle to win signed team memorabilia and network with one another.

The distribution marked the 25th iteration of the Predators Foundation's annual grant cycle, which awards hundreds of thousands of dollars to local charities for projects and programs benefiting youth and their families in Nashville and Middle Tennessee.

"We are thrilled to distribute a franchise record-breaking $800,049.29 of grants to 172 deserving nonprofits who are positively impacting the Middle Tennessee community," Nashville Predators Vice President of Community Relations Rebecca King said. "In total, the Preds Foundation has proudly provided over $8 million in grants to help fill areas of need throughout the community since our inception in 1998."

On Jan. 27, 2022 the Preds Foundation announced the renaming of its grants program to the Helper Grants empowered by SmileDirectClub after former Nashville Predators Senior Vice President and Senior Advisor, Gerry Helper. Helper retired in December 2021 after 40-plus years in the National Hockey League, including 24 spent with Nashville, where he most recently held the position of Chairman of the Board of the Nashville Predators Foundation.

"When we started the foundation, we believed a sports franchise had a platform to raise money to support organizations in the community and provide visibility and awareness to the work that each of you are doing on a daily basis," Helper said. "I think back to 1999 when we gave out the first awards, and it was a much smaller room. I think we had 50 organizations and about $150,000… So to fast forward to the record $800,000 award today is a pretty remarkable achievement and growth for the organization, but also for the community."

In his remarks, Helper thanked King and the rest of the Preds Foundation staff - Director of Community Relations Kristen Harris and Community Relations Coordinators Abby Helper and Callan Sheridan - for their tireless fundraising efforts and their leadership in this and other Foundation initiatives. He also expressed his gratitude to former head coach and incoming General Manager Barry Trotz for leading by example through his active involvement in the Nashville community and encouraging his players to do the same.

"The players and our staff are essential to the Foundation's success, and it really traces back to our first group of players," Helper said. "They understood when they came here as part of the Nashville Predators that they also needed to be part of the community and they needed to engage."

A complete list of the 172 nonprofits that received a grant from the Predators Foundation in 2023 can be found below. Additional information on the Predators Foundation grant allocation and application process is available

here

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• 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee, Inc.
• 21st District Recovery Court, Inc.
• 4:13 Strong
• A Soldier's Child Foundation
• ABLE Youth
• Ables Recreation Association
• AbleVoices
• Actors Bridge Ensemble Theater of Nashville, Inc.
• Agape Animal Rescue and Training Center
• Akiva School
• All Hands On Deck
• Aloe Family, The
• American Cancer Society
• American Special Hockey Association
• Arc Williamson County
• Area 16 Special Olympics
• Armed Services YMCA
• Assistance League of Nashville
• Austin Peay State University Chemistry Department
• Austin Peay State University Little Govs Child Learning Center
• Autism Career Training
• Backfield in Motion
• Barefoot Republic
• Beads of Courage, Inc.
• Best Buddies in Tennessee
• Bethlehem Centers of Nashville
• Black Lemonade
• Black Mental Health Village
• Blind Early Services TN
• Book'em
• Borderless Arts Tennessee
• Bradley Academy, Murfreesboro City Schools
• Bridges Domestic Violence Center
• Camp Kesem at Vanderbilt University
• Candle Wishes Foundation
• Cannon County SAVE
• CASA of Cannon County Tennessee
• City of Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Department
• Clarksville Area Urban Ministries SafeHouse
• Community Child Care (Hendersonville)
• Conexión Américas
• Contributor Inc., The
• Cooper Trooper Foundation
• Cottage Cove Urban Ministries
• Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
• Cumberland River Compact
• Daughters of the King
• Discovery Center at Murfree Spring
• Domestic Violence Program, Inc.
• Dream Streets
• Easterseals Tennessee
• Edgehill Neighborhood Partnership
• Edison School, The
• Elmington Elevates
• Empower Me Center
• Ezell-Harding Christian School
• F.I.N.D. Design, The
• Faith Family Medical Center
• Family Center, The
• First Steps, Inc.
• Food for the Soul
• Forrest Spence Fund Nashville, The
• Foundation for Tennessee Chess
• FrankTown Open Hearts
• Freedom Reigns Ranch
• Friends Life Community
• Friends of MACC
• Friends of Shelby Park and Bottom
• Friends of Warner Parks Inc.
• From Your Father
• Girls Write Nashville
• Glen Leven Presbyterian Church Day School
• Glengarry Elementary
• GraceWorks Ministries
• Greater Nashville Area Scholastic Hockey
• Habitat for Humanity Williamson-Maury
• Harvest Hands Community Development Corporation
• Heimerdinger Foundation, The
• Hendersonville Inline Hockey Association
• High Hopes Development Center
• His Children Foundation
• Hispanic Family Foundation, The
• Homework Hotline, Inc.
• Hope Hohenwald Inc
• Hope Station
• HopeKids Middle Tennessee
• Hospice of the Highland Rim Foundation, Inc.
• Humanities Tennessee
• Imagination Library of Coffee County
• Inspiritus, Inc.
• Interfaith Dental
• JDRF Tennessee
• Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee
• Kymari House, Inc.
• Learning Matters
• Literacy Council, The
• Love Helps, inc.
• Manchester City Schools
• Manna Cafe Ministries
• Mother to Mother
• Mothers Against Drunk Driving
• MOVE Inclusive Dance
• Music City Youth in the Arts
• My Bag My Story
• My Friend's House Family & Children's Services Inc
• Nashville African American Wind Symphony, Inc.
• Nashville Ballet
• Nashville Book Connection
• Nashville Children's Alliance
• Nashville Children's Theatre
• Nashville Dolphins
• Nashville Education, Community, and Arts Television
• Nashville Figure Skating Club
• Nashville Humane Association
• Nashville Peacemakers
• Nashville Warriors Hockey Club
• Nashville Youth Hockey League
• Nashville Youth Jazz Ensemble
• National Museum of African American Music
• National Wheelcats, Inc.
• Now Opportunities Can Exist
• Nurses for Newborns of Tennessee
• Operation Homefront
• Operation Rose
• OZ Arts
• Path United
• PENCIL
• Porch Writers' Collective, The
• Preston Taylor Ministries
• Progressive Directions, Inc.
• Project E3
• Project Transformation
• Purpose To Legacy
• Quest Center For Arts and Community Development, Inc., The
• Randolph Howell Elementary STEM School
• Reeves-Rogers Elementary
• Renewal House, Inc.
• Rocketown of Middle Tennessee
• Ronald McDonald House Charities of Nashville
• Royal Table Inc
• Scott Hamilton Skating Club
• Shine Photography
• Somali Community of Middle Tennessee
• SongwritingWith:Soldiers
• Special Kids Inc.
• STARS
• Sumner Prevention Coalition
• Talk with Me Tennessee
• Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence
• Tennessee Environmental Council
• Tennessee Golf Foundation
• Tennessee Hemophilia & Bleeding Disorder Foundation
• Tennessee Lions Charities, Inc.
• Tennessee Prison Outreach Ministry
• Tennessee State Parks Conservancy
• Tennessee Trucking Foundation
• Tennessee Voices for Victims
• The Theater Bug
• Touchstone Youth Resource Services, Inc.
• Transformation Life Center
• Trevecca Nazarene University
• Tucker's House
• Tullahoma South Jackson Civic Association
• United Service Organizations, Incorporated
• Vine Branch Fellowship
• White Fawn Farm
• Whitsitt Elementary Physical Education
• Wilson County Black History Committee
• YAIPak Outreach
• You Have the Power...Know How To Use It, Inc.
• Youth Changes
• Youth Encouragement Services