Several local companies have already signed on to support the effort, which is organized by the Predators Foundation. All contributions will be divided between the PENCIL Foundation and the Nashville Alliance for Public Education.
Funds for the PENCIL Foundation will help pay for a program called Reading Partners, which matches volunteer tutors to children for one-on-one help with reading, provides classroom reading volunteers for pre-K and kindergarten students, and provides books for classroom libraries.
“The Predators are outstanding role models and active volunteers for Nashville children, and we appreciate all that they contribute to the quality of life in our community,” said Connie Williams of the PENCIL Foundation. “We are especially grateful that as they build support for Nashville’s hockey team, they are also focusing on the academic and life success of our local school children.”
Contributions to the Nashville Alliance for Public Education will fund the purchase of books for school libraries and classrooms.
“The Nashville Alliance works in partnership with community donors to make a difference in our city’s public schools”, said Pam Garrett, executive director of the Alliance. “We are pleased that the Predators understand that education is the most important thing we do as a city and want to be part of our commitment to improve schools. It sends a powerful message to the community that this team, in its phase of re-organization, also places a high priority on our schools and students. Great public schools make a great city, for everybody!”
“We recognize the importance of our education system in Nashville and Middle Tennessee,” said Predators chairman David Freeman. “With the generous support from this program’s corporate partners, we are confident that our ticket sales efforts and our on-ice performance will deliver a significant amount of funding to these two organizations that benefit our community’s top asset—our young students.”
Since 1982, the PENCIL Foundation has been actively involved in helping children achieve academic success and prepare for life. PENCIL’s framework for achieving these educational goals is a network of committed businesses and organizations called PENCIL Partners. In 2007, there were 500 PENCIL Partnerships and more than 4,000 school volunteers, contributing over 50,000 hours in support of Nashville school children.
Established in 2002 by a group of corporate and civic leaders, the Nashville Alliance for Public Education is dedicated to the goal of improving public education in Nashville, Tennessee. Working in partnership with the Metro Nashville Public School Board and the Director of Schools, the Alliance raises and directs private resources to impact under-funded priorities of the school district. In recognition that the Predators organization sets its expectations to sell out and win every home game for the next decade, partners may set an upper limit on the amount of their potential contribution.
The program and its corporate partners will be regularly highlighted via the Predators game program, in-game announcements, on the scoreboard, on the Predators website, radio and television mentions during Predators games, in a press release and at a end-of-season check presentation. | 
