Those from the Predators front office are all looking forward to the opportunity to lend a hand, but perhaps none more so than Predators Senior Vice President, General Counsel Heidi Bundren. A native Houstonian, who spent 37 years of her life in the city, Bundren remembers having to watch the devastation from afar and wait to hear from family members, including her brother, a Houston firefighter.
And while she's been back home since the storm hit, this journey is just as meaningful as she and her coworkers ready to contribute to rebuilding the community.
"It's great to see our employees care about helping people beyond Nashville," Bundren said. "Nashville is now home and a special place to me, but to see how many people signed up to travel and take time away from what they have going on here - their work and their families - to go and to help another community in need is great. It's even more special to me that it's my hometown that we're helping."
In addition to the trip to Houston, another part of the country is also receiving help from the Preds.
With the 2018 NHL All-Star Weekend - which will be held in Tampa Bay - occuring this weekend, the impact from other hurricanes in the state of Florida is also top of mind. The Predators Foundation stepped up with a $15,000 donation to Habitat for Humanity of Collier County, Florida, in conjunction with the NHL, NHLPA, Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. That funding paid for landscaping at the home built by those with the other entities earlier this month.
Whether they're making an impact a few blocks away from Bridgestone Arena or halfway across the country, the Preds have built up an organizational mantra that lends the opportunity to serve those in need. And if employees of the top franchise in sports can make a difference, there isn't much time for hesitation.
"It's part of our culture," Bundren said of the ability to serve. "We just do it. Giving back to the community is ingrained in us, and I think it truly is our culture. It's part of our identity, and it's not something you can teach or mandate. We're very appreciative to our ownership group and our executives who are supportive of projects like this. If we didn't have their support, we wouldn't be able to do this."
