Preds Players, Foundation Give 12 Days of Christmas to Those In Need

Children in the Youth Villages program are in the midst of their own custom 12 Days of Christmas adventure, but forget the golden rings and turtle doves.
Instead, things like movies, sneakers and Preds gear have been showing up on their doorstep courtesy of the Nashville Predators, with Ryan Johansen, Colton Sissons and Dante Fabbro to thank, in particular.
With some extra time on their hands, the trio of British Columbia natives have been busier than Santa's elves with shopping, wrapping and delivering gifts to those who could use a nice Christmas.

For more than 30 years, Youth Villages of Middle Tennessee has provided intensive in-home services, foster care and adoption, crisis services, mentoring and more with the goal of helping children and their families "live successfully." In 2020, they have helped more than 6,500 children, young people and their families through offices in Clarksville, Columbia, Cookeville, Dickson and Nashville.
The participants who have been receiving gifts during the 12 days range in age from 14 to 17 and reside in group homes in Nashville. Of course, no individual has been left unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic, including those teenagers who have had to deal with additional hardships on top of what they already face.
Already going to school virtually, the pandemic hasn't allowed them to host any sort of holiday party or enjoy a trip to the bowling alley or movie theater like they have in past years. So, when a member of the Preds shows up to deliver a present, it means even more in 2020.

"It makes our kids feel special," Youth Villages Senior Manager of Development and Communications Lyndsay Wilkinson said. "A lot of them are going through a lot right now, and they feel alone. As teenagers, a lot of times they don't have the capacity to understand the world around them in all situations, so a lot of them just feel really sad in the world right now. But, having someone like players from the Nashville Predators take some time out of their day with everything that's going on in the world to deliver a meal to them or to bring them their Christmas tree or something like that, it just makes them feel really special.
"Right now, it gives them a little more hope into what's coming and that maybe they're not alone, that maybe people out there do care about them. Something like this can help them feel a little less alone right now."
Their situations are different, but the Preds players that are doing the gifting get just as much out of an opportunity like this as the receivers do. While Fabbro has never experienced what these teens are going through, he isn't all that much older than them, and he hasn't forgotten what it's like to be a kid that looks forward to Christmas.
"Overall, the end goal is to make sure everyone's safe and healthy but happy as well," Fabbro said. "For us, giving back is a little step in that process to make them healthy and happy. Joe, Siss and I have been really happy to be a part of this and be able to put smiles on kids' faces with them not being able to see their families or whatnot. It's been a really good experience for me, it's been my first year doing this, and hopefully I will be for years to come. I'm going to continue to strive to be involved in it and help in any way I can."
Fabbro, Johansen and Sissons filled their carts at a local Walmart earlier this month with everything they'd need for the 12 days of distributions, including Christmas trees, DVDs and popcorn for a movie night and even a new pair of shoes from Vans and Journeys. They've also delivered a holiday feast from Puckett's, and while the players haven't been able to interact with the teens in person, Fabbro has still witnessed some grateful reactions.
"The pure joy of seeing these kids light up when we showed up at the door, obviously they couldn't come out to see us or whatnot, but you can see them waving through the windows and screaming and they're so happy," Fabbro said. "It makes it a lot of fun for us to see that they're happy to see that we're trying to make a difference in their lives."
Giving back is just what the Preds do, especially at this time of the year, and it's easy to see why it matters. While the 12th and final day of gifts arrives this Wednesday, the teens of Youth Villages won't be forgetting this holiday season anytime soon for a number of reasons.

"This means so much to our kids," Wilkinson said. "Many of our kids who have now been in foster care for their whole life, they've just been disappointed, especially by adults, or by the people who they care about the most. So, being able to do something extra special for them during the holidays and to let them know that the community cares about them and wants to see them do well, it means so much.
"They just get so excited, because this is really their only Christmas. Just being able to do something extra for them, especially for 12 days, is really fantastic. It's just something extra special to have during the holidays right now when they don't have family that they can be spending time with. They just have each other, and now they have something that they can celebrate together every day."
Youth Villages is a national leader in children's mental and behavioral health and is committed to building strong families, delivering effective services and significantly improving outcomes for children, families and young people involved in child welfare and juvenile justice systems across the country. Founded in 1986, the organization's 3,000 employees help more than 30,000 children annually in 21 states across the United States. Youth Villages has been recognized by the U.S. News & World Report and was identified by The White House as one of the nation's most promising results-oriented nonprofit organizations. Learn more at www.youthvillages.org.