Preds, 102.5 The Game Beat the Heat, Give Back During 615 Day Celebration

June 15, 2022 was one of the hottest days in Nashville history - or at least in recent memory - but that wasn't enough to stop more than 500 people from gathering at Ford Ice Center Antioch for a 615 Day Celebration put on by the Nashville Predators and ESPN 102.5 The Game.
After all, what better place to escape the summer heat than a hockey rink?

This year's 615 Day - an occasion pairing the region's area code with the date June 15 - included free ice-skating, appearances from defenseman Dante Fabbro, Head Coach John Hynes and GNASH, as well as an opportunity for local sports media and Preds personalities to cool off via dunk tank.
But perhaps most importantly, the 615 Day Celebration served to raise awareness and funds for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee, a non-profit organization that has strived to offer a safe place for midstate youth to develop essential skills, make lasting connections and have fun since 1903.
"With 615 Day, there's a call to action to the community, there's participation and our kids are getting exposed to new experiences, for many of them that's ice skating," CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee Eric Higgs said. "We take them out and they learn ice skating, and they interface there at the Ford Ice Center. It's a brilliant partnership and it kind of epitomizes for me that here's an organization that gives their time, their talent and their treasure. And that to me are the fundamentals of a great partnership between organizations, that passion about helping the community and in this case, helping the youth."
With the Boys & Girls Clubs working to double the number of youth served in Middle Tennessee by 2026, Higgs says the partnership with the Preds and 102.5 The Game on events like 615 Day is invaluable to making that goal a reality.
"If the young people like and love what we're doing, they want to come back more," Higgs said. "And that's extremely important, because as they move from those ages of 10, 11 and 12… It allows] older youth to feel like this is a place that's going to continue to challenge and grow me and give me opportunities that I wouldn't otherwise have. [It] also helps give us a platform to talk about some of the great things that are happening on behalf of our youth. And if it's done well, our youth are going to tell you that and you're going to be able to see for yourself and hear for yourself. And I'm hopeful that we'll get even more people who are interested to come participate and volunteer and help provide resources for us to expand on the work that we want to be able to do."
The idea that would eventually become the 615 Day Celebration started from an existing partnership between the Boys & Girls Clubs and 102.5 The Game. Once the Predators joined in, the concept of using the local holiday not just for celebration, but for community outreach as well, took off.
"We were able to marry those two things together, which I think is really cool," 102.5 The Game Program Director Chase McCabe said. "We can utilize what we've already built, and then use the support of the Preds and the Preds Foundation to help make it bigger and better. And that's what this event has become this year - it's just grown in leaps and bounds from what we did last year."
And just hours after kicking off this year's festivities - and thanks to some extra help from the Preds Foundation's silent auction - there was even more reason to celebrate.
"We've already beat our goal from last year, already early in the day from what we've raised for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee," McCabe said. "The goal is to do something good for the community, and I think we've all done that."
At the end of the day, the Predators and 102.5 The Game were able to conclude a sweltering 615 Day knowing they'd accomplished an even simpler goal as well.
"Seeing the kids and the smiles on their faces if they get to go skate, or if they get to meet Coach Hynes or a Preds player, seeing that joy that they get, that's what makes me the happiest, because you know that what you're doing is right and is making a difference," McCabe said. "Every day in my job, I want to make a difference. So, I think that's the best part of it."
[Click here to learn how you can support the Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee.