Presents, Puppies & Parties: Inside the Preds Foundation's 25 Years of Community Impact

Tucked far from the turning wheels of the hockey operations offices, the buzzing din of the ticketing sales floor and the locker room where Smashville’s team readies for action is a world all its own.

Here, the stacks of signed pucks tower higher than the desktops and the bobblehead likenesses of Nashville Predators past and present outnumber the human occupants 100 to one.

This, of course, is the beating heart of Smashville. This is the home of the Predators Foundation.

“It ebbs and flows,” Community Relations Vice President Rebecca King said. “One day, there's 150 Thanksgiving baskets lining the hallway. The next day, they're gone. Then presents start coming in for Christmas, and then they're gone. And then player baskets come in for our holiday auction, and then they're gone.”

Easy on the eyes? Maybe not.

But essential to the job? As CR Coordinator Callan Sheridan put it:

“It's just kind of a necessity, right?”

Right.

For every signed jersey, every mystery puck, every present around the holidays, there’s the understanding that each item, whether auctioned off through the Foundation’s silent auction or donated to a worthy charity, will bring about some good to someone in Middle Tennessee.

“As claustrophobic and condensed as that office can feel,” CR Senior Coordinator Abby Helper said. “There's nothing better than seeing all those gifts in there and just knowing what it's going toward.”

Humble Beginnings

More than a quarter century ago, the scenery inside 501 Broadway wasn’t much more aesthetically pleasing.

“When we first got there, there were no offices,” former Senior Vice President of Communications and Development Gerry Helper said. “It was a big open space with this blue carpet.”

For every staff member added, up went a cubicle. Former President Jack Diller shared a wall with his assistant, who shared a wall with General Manager David Poile, and so on.

“As these cubicles got added, you needed more computer lines and electricity, and all these wires were hung across the room,” Helper said. “It was not the most attractive setting, but it was all we needed to do our work.”

With much work to be done and few available to do it, Helper headed up both the public relations and community relations for the NHL’s newest franchise.

“We knew we needed different ways to connect with our community,” Helper said. “We knew we were going to have a certain number of the market that were hockey fans, that were going to buy in and didn't need anything else, but there were going to be a lot of other people who we were hoping to attract to become fans, season ticket holders, partners and the like. So our community relations were an integral part of our overall plan to become an integrated part of the Nashville community.”

Helper leaned on anyone he could to assist in his mission of community outreach, from broadcasters to hockey ops staff to the players themselves.

While Pete Weber and Terry Crisp - both Helper hires - offered their expertise during Hockey 101 sessions, the Predators on-ice talent pitched in wherever they could.

From street hockey pop-ups, to reading times at schools, to visits with children’s hospital patients, there wasn’t much they wouldn’t do.

“Those guys who were there in the first couple of years - players like Tom Fitzgerald, Tomas Vokoun, Greg Johnson, Scott Walker, Kimmo Timonen - they understood that they were here to play hockey, but hockey was only part of what they were doing,” Helper said. “They were helping to spread the gospel of hockey, if you will. And they understood that getting out in the community was an important part of being a Nashville Predator.”

Even those behind the bench got involved.

After visiting My Friend’s House, a Franklin-based non-profit offering temporary residential support to local at-risk boys, former Preds Head Coach Barry Trotz committed to donating $500 for every team win. 

By the time he departed Nashville 16-odd years and 557 wins later, Trotz’s donation had ballooned well into the six figures.

“You couldn't ask for a better example for your players, and those players in the early years did so much,” Helper said. “It made it a lot easier for the next group to understand that this is what being part of the Nashville Predators is all about.”

While the efforts have grown over the last 25 years - hospital visits became Pekka Rinne and Shea Weber’s 365 Fund, roller hockey became Filip Forsberg’s Hockey Clinic, etc. - that core piece of the Predators identity has never changed.

“All these guys have their different programs, and these young guys kind of see the impact that they can have,” King said. “And it doesn't have to be a lot of money. It can be your time, it can be your social media, it can be your likeness, there's different ways of approaching it.”

Who Let the Dogs Out

One such way, as it turns out, has been with puppies. As any good Predators or arena employee has come to find out, a sudden uptick in squeals and gasps around the office usually means one isn’t far by.

“We're at the point where the whole office knows when there's a puppy,” Sheridan said. “And everyone wants to take a turn.”

The source of the furry friends is King, who’s spent much of the past year fostering pups from Wags & Walks Nashville, newcomers Gucci and Chanel being No. 26 and 27 on the year.

On most days, she has little problem finding willing dog sitters.

“Those are the days that I look forward to the most,” Abby Helper said. “It's just the best thing in the world when you're just sitting at your desk and you're doing something, whether it's a long newsletter or an Excel sheet, and you just look down and see you have a puppy on your lap.” 

The weekly ritual is not only good for the office staff, but the pups themselves.

One arena employee adopted one of King’s fosters. Another started fostering pups of their own. Another joined the Wags & Walks board.

“Through each of the interactions it gets people more engaged,” King said. “We're always just trying to learn the big picture, trying to find out where people’s interests are and then meet them there… Because if they find their version of Wags & Walks, it's just going to get them emotionally invested in giving back to the community.”

The same is true for the Predators players, with Wags & Walks central to netminder Juuse Saros’ efforts away from the ice.

It doesn’t have to be dogs and cats, either.

Ryan O'Reilly has the 90's Mighty RO'R and Roman Josi Best Buddies. Before them, P.K. Subban created Blueline Buddies and Luke Kunin the T1D Fund.

Philip Tomasino, who shares a special bond with a cousin on the autism spectrum, found his calling after a visit with Nashville’s Autism Career Training Center earlier this season.

“He asked us to set up meetings on his off days at different autism agencies, so he can tour and learn about them and figure out how he wants to get more involved,” King said. “And so he's been very intentional in meeting lots of different groups and seeing what kind of resonates with him.

“Once you find where the heartstrings are, you can pull on them pretty hard and make some amazing things happen.”

Welcome to the Party

Making amazing things happen could easily be the Preds Foundation’s tagline. 

With nine public tentpole events throughout the year and countless more held privately with partner organizations, the Foundation team has charitable event work down to a science.

Take the upcoming GnashVegas Casino Night. Planning for the March 3 event started six months ago and will only hurtle toward fever pitch before doors finally open at Bridgestone Arena the night of.

Now in her 13th season, Community Relations Director Kristen Harris could likely put the event on in her sleep.

“From the get go, we start with promotion,” Harris said. “Then there’s the linens you have to order, there's auction items you have to mail out thousands of letters for and try to gather for the different events. Then there's a lot of logistics of figuring out where players are going to be, whether they’re making photo booth appearances, if they’ll be dealing or just me mixing and mingling.”

All of it, of course, is a labor of love. After all, each event can - and usually does - raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Foundation and its many initiatives.

“The four of us put on some really good events, like big parties,” King said. “Just the fact that we have the ability to use an NHL arena to host an event over the ice to bring in 1,000 people to meet our hockey players and raise $200,000, it's crazy when you step back and think about it. But to us it's just normal. We're in the weeds and we're just plugging away.

Key words: the four of us.

Indeed, behind every hospital visit, holiday party or grant presentation is a team no bigger than a Predators penalty kill unit.

“I think we have to be super tight-knit,” Harris said. “Everyone has their section or area of expertise or focus… But everyone kind of has a hand in everything. I think being a department of four and having so much going on and so much to do, that’s the only way we’re able to be successful.”

Similar to a special teams unit, the group’s younger contributors, first-year rookie Callan and third-year pro Abby, lean on their veterans, 13-year vet Kristen and 19-year vet Rebecca, for support.

“Rebecca and Kristen are so valuable and good at their jobs because they have such great institutional knowledge, and that's more of a hurdle for me,” Sheridan said. “But when you can use that knowledge of where your needs are to fit it into our organization and our mission, that's where it becomes just a moment of magic.”

Of course, there’s more to the relationship than just work. A peek inside the Preds Foundation group chat will yield plenty of work talk but also plenty of chatter on Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s whereabouts in recent weeks. Naturally.

“Whenever I talk to people about what we do, I always say that I'm with my department more than I am with my own family,” King said. “So, the relationship and the friendship that we have has to be genuine.”

“It feels like a group of friends almost more than like coworkers or colleagues,” Abby Helper said. “We do spend so much time together that it's so helpful to know more about someone than just them from a work standpoint.”

Smashville’s Helpers

When it comes to Abby, there’s plenty her coworkers know already.

After all, the daughter of Gerry Helper lived and breathed Predators hockey from day one and grew up alongside the same people she’d one day call colleagues.

“I remember early on, I would bring my three-legged miniature pinscher to the office,” King recalled. “On Saturdays, we'd come in and work and Abby and her sister would play with the dog.”

Scooter, the Min Pin in question, had a habit of wandering into restricted areas.

“He ran into the weight room and David Legwand was in there,” Abby said. “And I was like, ‘Well, I can't go in there, I'm not allowed.’ And so David picked Scooter up and awkwardly carried him out.”

Visits to dad’s office weren’t all about wrangling pets, though. With plenty of work to be done, Gerry would often find ways for his daughter to chip in.

“We didn't have enough arms and legs to get some of these projects done, and we needed all the arms and legs we could get,” Gerry Helper said. “So if this young person in high school or college can help out, great. And if it exposes her to this stuff, that was a bonus.”

Stuffing envelopes for donation requests turned into overseeing the Foundation table during games, which turned into grant visits with Rebecca and Kristen.

By the time higher-ed and those daunting college internships rolled around, Abby’s path was clear.

“I always say, you can't teach someone that - either you love it or you don't,” King said. “And she just kind of fell in love with that side of the business.”

Retired since December 2021, Gerry knows his legacy in Smashville will continue as his daughter builds one of her own.

“It is a great source of pride,” Gerry said. “Having my daughter be able to carry on in one of the areas that I worked in, it’s pretty special.”

What It’s All About

Growing up, there was one thing Abby never got the chance to help out with.

To her disappointment, the Foundation’s grant presentation ceremony, the culmination of all the year’s hard work and fundraising, was almost always scheduled during school.

These days, however, the pair of Helpers are always in attendance. After all, the impactful program now carries the family namesake.

“It's a little hard to find the words to describe it,” Abby said. “A lot of the charities know my dad's name, and they might not know who he is, but they'll know the last name. So [if I introduce myself], they'll say, ‘Oh my gosh, is your dad Gerry Helper?’… That moment alone is really cool, because I just see all of my dad's work and how much passion he had and how much he loved the organization and the city.”

It’s no doubt even better knowing the good Helper Grants have done. In its 25-year history, the program has raised millions of dollars for hundreds of deserving local non-profits.

“How often can you get 180 organizations in the same room, and they're all smiling ear-to-ear, they’re all getting a check?” Gerry said. “They're all getting to do more of the work that they are here to do, and we're able to play a small role. Because of our fundraising efforts, we can deliver the check and the resources to allow them to continue to do that kind of work.”

The growth over the last quarter century has been astronomical, too.

Capping their first year distributing roughly $150,000 to 50 organizations, last year’s check presentation saw $800,040 distributed to 172.

“Did we envision it getting this big?” Gerry reflected. “I guess if you had dreamed it, you would hope. But you really can't forecast that, you just try to do the right thing. And that's what we tried to do.”

Click here to learn more about how you can contribute to the Preds Foundation.