Thanks so much to Zach Wigal and Lauren Harvey of Gamers Outreach for inviting me to represent them at Bridgestone arena today to accept a grant that Lauren wrote benefitting the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt!
There were almost 200 other organizations also accepting their grants today, so while we waited our turn, I had a delightful opportunity to chat with Graden Knapp, Vanderbilt’s Gaming and Technology Specialist (also pictured, the one who isn’t a mascot, Stanley Cup Champion Nicholas Hague, or grant program namesake Gerry Helper). Graden is responsible for ensuring that all the game consoles, game libraries, and accessibility controllers are well-maintained and works with clinical staff to match the tech they have available to patients needs based on age and ability. It sounds like a pretty niche challenge, so I’m pleased that it seems like the hospital is in such great hands!
It was also exciting to see so many community-facing charitable organizations represented in one place. The full list of grant recipients can be found at: https://www.nhl.com/predators/news/record-breaking-helper-grant-donation-culminates-2025-26-season-in-which-predators-foundation-distributes-4-million-in-cash-and-kind-across-middle-tennessee-2026-05-19
And, of course, thanks to the Nashville Predators Foundation for hosting and their generous support of so many impactful causes across the region!