February 13, 2020 – Hockey Has Heart: CHD Awareness Night
This event started as an idea in my husband’s ,Clint’s, mind in the winter of 2018. Our own Heart Warrior, Luke, was just turning 1 year old. We knew we loved the Nashville Predators. We knew the power that they could use to help causes move mountains that befell them. He had a dream….and it was “Hockey Has Heart” night! Fast forward a few months and Bright Heart Foundation became an official partner with the Nashville Predators Foundation as they gave us an initial grant to try to help our cause. In our first meeting post grant, Clint mentioned this dream of “Hockey Has Heart” and the great souls of the Nashville Predators Foundation loved it. We then worked forward to create the awarness product to go along with this event. Through the collaboration of Wubbanub, Nashville Predators Foundation, and Bright Heart Foundation came this little creature that would bring smiles and truly change lives, Preds CHD Bear Wubbanub!
We knew we were on the right track, but we knew we could make it better if we could enlist the help of our other fellow non-profits that make up the TN CHD Coalition – Adult Congenital Heart Association, The Brett Boyer Foundation, World of Broken Hearts, and Haley’s Hearts. Together this wonderful event was curated and cared for until it’s birth. Due the the efforts of all of these groups individually and together, “Hockey Has Heart: CHD Awareness Night” was a trail-blazing success in the realm of #CHDAwareness.
Almost 300 people were in attendance for the mixer before the game where they could meet and learn about all non-profits involved, purchase the Preds CHD Bear Wubbanub and the company’s representatives, visit with Gnash and other Preds representatives, thank their phyicians for their care of the children, and have a night out of fun as they represented the cause that is dear to us and on all of our minds every day.
Carla Schneider, the inventor of Wubbanub, and her team traveled from Conneticut for the event to meet the families and support the cause. We were all also very honored that Luke Bryan would sing the national anthem in honor of his own niece who lost her battle with CHD, Sadie Brett Boyer, in order to kick of that night’s hockey game.
We stood together. We cheered together. We all were the faces of CHD that night. Thank you for all that supported this event.
We could definitely feel the love this Valentine’s Day! Let’s go Preds!