While results may differ on the ice from season to season, what doesn’t change is the impact the Predators Foundation continues to make throughout Nashville and beyond.
And as the latest installment of Helper Grant presentations took place on Tuesday morning at Bridgestone Arena, the Foundation reached new heights once again.
Grant distributions totaling $855,642.88 - the Foundation’s largest one-time donation in franchise history - were awarded to 199 Nashville and Middle Tennessee nonprofits to help the respective organizations with projects and programs benefiting youth and their families.
In addition to the Helper Grants, the Preds Foundation also continues to contribute over $4 million annually in direct cash and in-kind support to community organizations throughout Middle Tennessee.
Simply put, Nashville wouldn’t be the same without the Preds Foundation, and Tuesday’s celebration illustrated that fact perfectly.
Preds defenseman Nic Hague was on hand to help hand out the oversized checks and take photos with the recipients, something the blueliner was more than happy to do following his first season with his new club.
“It’s fun to be a part of and see all the people behind the scenes from so many great causes, and I think it just goes to show the family that the Predators organization prides themselves on being,” Hague said. “It’s definitely cool to see and fun to be a part of.”
Prior to the ceremony, a video highlighting all of the community events featuring Preds players giving back over the course of the previous season was shown, and Hague appeared on at least a few occasions.
After being acquired from Vegas last summer, the imposing defender knew he wanted to make an impact in his new city right away - and he did just that.
“The team makes it really easy with lots of different opportunities to get involved wherever you can, and for me, it’s fun,” Hague said. “I got here, and you feel that relationship with the community right away. It’s definitely something that I wanted to be a part of. You see all those people out there today, and you can tell how close knit the community is. It’s cool to be a part of it and to see it firsthand today.”
One of those organizations Hague had the chance to interact with Tuesday was the Nashville Junior Roller Derby. Emilia Canahuati is the president of the Derby, and moments after snapping a photo with Hague, she was ecstatic to be holding a check for $4,000 and her organization's first grant.
“It's really wonderful to see such a big organization like the Preds Foundation really giving back to the community and participating,” Canahuati said. “It’s really hard for small nonprofits to get attention, and to be able to collaborate with such an amazing organization is awesome.”
Canahuati, who says the grant will go towards the purchase of new gear for the Derby players as opposed to the used gear they’ve been utilizing, knows what a moment like this can mean for an organization.
For one, the monetary impact is noteworthy. However, and most importantly, the chance to be recognized is priceless.
“It will be life changing for the organization and for the players, for them to see that they are getting the attention of a place like the Preds Foundation,” Canahuati said. “It helps to build partnership, and our young people can see that big organizations actually do care about the community. And it helps build fans for everything, for both the Preds and for Derby, so we’re just excited. Like, this is our first grant that we've ever gotten, and we're so elated.”
Those feelings were echoed over and over throughout the ceremony as the lucky 199 came forward to receive their grants.
And for Hague, like any player, giving back an hour at a time is one thing - but to witness the jubilation of over $855,000 being distributed to those who deserve it most? There’s nothing quite like it.
“I think sometimes you don’t really realize the impact our team might have in the community, but you meet all the people here today and just how much it means to everybody here, it’s special,” Hague said. “We’re able to help a lot of people out, so it’s fun, and you get to meet some people and realize how important all of these things are. To be able to give out all the grants here today, it's exciting and it's great to be able to be a part of it.”
Tuesday’s announcement marked the 28th grant distribution by the Predators Foundation. Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than $11.2 million in financial grants to Nashville and Middle Tennessee community service and charitable organizations. Additional information on the Foundation’s grant allocation and application process is available at NashvillePredators.com/Grants.
