Sweet Kicks: Evangelista Teams Up with Preds Foundation, Friends Life Community to Raise Money, Brighten Days

Luke Evangelista has never worn shoes quite like these.

In fact, his custom kicks have way more to them than just a unique paint job or a playful design that catches the eye - they’re also going to help improve Middle Tennessee.

The Predators winger recently paid a visit to Friends Life Community, a local nonprofit that provides opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities. Founded by loved ones who were concerned there wouldn’t be options for their children after high school, Friends Life helps participants grow personally, develop socially and become active members of the Nashville community.

Oh, and they can paint, too.

Evangelista saw that firsthand as he joined a number of the Friends like Matthew, Hal, Sam, Caroline and Randle, to design custom pairs of shoes that he’ll wear as he arrives at Preds games throughout the rest of the season at Bridgestone Arena. There are different shoes for different theme nights, such as Military Appreciation Night, Hockey Fights Cancer Night, Kids Night and more.

From there, the shoes will then be autographed by Evangelista and auctioned off by the Predators Foundation to raise money for other local organizations.

For Evangelista - who is a bit of a fashionista - and the Preds, the partnership just made sense, and the feeling was mutual.

“To see Luke in a more social setting and in a community setting, it really humanizes everybody, including the people that he's interacting with,” Friends Life Community CEO Waverly Ann Harris said. “He’s someone who is very influential, and it does make a big statement. It does matter. Maybe that's a lot of pressure on him, but thankfully, he's so good at it, and it does matter in how he shows up… Friends Life is about helping to change the culture and change the perceptions and the stigmas around disability. So, connecting with Luke in a way that he's demonstrating that change that his friends want to see does send a strong message to hopefully influencing other people to kind of take a lead in that culture shift as well.”

“It was really fun,” Evangelista said of the experience. “It’s just a great way to get involved in the community, and it’s something that I'm passionate about with shoes and fashion a little bit. That’s kind of right up my alley. So, it's two things that combined kind of perfectly. I was really happy we were able to get that done, and I can't wait to wear them to those theme nights, all that stuff. I'm really looking forward to it.”

A number of the Friends in the program are not only already Preds fans, but they’ve been to games and have interacted with other players in the past - plus, Sam even works events at Bridgestone Arena in Guest Relations. But there’s also a human connection that’s made, and it doesn’t matter what Evangelista does for a living. Instead, the commonality of art and fashion made it that much easier for everyone to become fast friends.

“The other thing that's so wonderful is they are so authentic, and I think they just draw that out of everyone and also help everybody put their guard down and just be people, which is so beautiful,” Harris said. “It's so wonderful. They're not worried about pleasing someone. They're not worried about what, ‘Are they going to think about me?’ They just are completely, 100 percent authentic to who they are. It’s refreshing.”

Evangelista felt that sentiment too, and the laughter shared between brushstrokes was simply infectious.

“It’s always fun to step outside the rink, step into the community a little bit, meet new people and get involved in a new community,” Evangelista said. “The more people you meet, the more friends you have. It was definitely something that I was really open and excited about.”

Former Preds forward Matt Cullen and his wife, Bridget, as well as Predators Captain Roman Josi, have also been involved with Friends Life Community over the years, and the lineage is sure to continue with Evangelista having made some new friends, too.

That draw to the community is simply part of what it means to play for the Preds, and as is typically the case, the organizations who receive that support firsthand know how great the impact can be.

“I feel like Nashville truly is a better city because the Nashville Predators are a part of who we are,” Harris said. “Being a nonprofit in Nashville and having the Preds understand not only the value of interacting with nonprofits, but seeing individuals with disabilities is also an important part of the community. Again, it just elevates what we're trying to do as a nonprofit in changing our culture to accept people with disabilities on a much higher level, because leaders like the Nashville Predators are setting that example and mentoring them.”