Programs & Initiatives
Briefly: Giving dads the winning edge
Registration for the 2011 Back to Football Friday program is now closed. Stay tuned to find out how your school could win in 2012!
The Basket of Hope program delivers baskets filled with Bibles, inspirational books for parents and children, journals, CD and cassette players, music, videos, stuffed animals, toys and games to children recently diagnosed with cancer. The baskets, valued at $200 each, are hand-delivered by caring volunteers of the community.
Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell serves as a spokesperson for Baskets of Hope in Indianapolis. For more information on this program, visit www.basketofhope.org.
The Indianapolis Colts and Indiana Blood Center extend a special thanks to everyone who joined us for the 2011 Bleed Blue Blood Drive and Health Fair at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, December 10! Thanks to the generous support of our fans, we are pleased to announce that this was the largest Bleed Blue Blood Drive to date, bringing in more than 2,000 donors!
Thank you for your ongoing support of this event – we look forward to making the 2012 Bleed Blue Blood Drive and Health Fair another fun and memorable experience for the entire family!
A special thanks to our 2011 sponsors: CardioCheck, ADVANTAGE Health Solutions and WTHR Channel 13!
Please stay tuned for information on the 2012 Bleed Blue Blood Drive and Health Fair!
This annual fundraiser, hosted by Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell, supports the Carson Scholars Fund, and helps to provide educational software and interactive whiteboards to local community centers for their after-school programming. The event was started in 2005 by former Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy.
Colts Community Tuesdays, presented by WTHR Channel 13, is a season-long outreach program in which players participate in activities every Tuesday.
Through a partnership with the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Indianapolis Colts offer a free educational resource for teachers that incorporates the game of football into daily learning exercises for students.
Colts Community Spokesperson and Iraq War Veteran Josh Bleill shares his story of faith and courage.
The Indianapolis Colts are excited to introduce Faith, Courage & Football, a video which highlights the journey of Colts Community Spokesperson Josh Bleill.
An inspirational story perfect for Colts fans of all ages, churches, youth groups, and faith-based organizations, this DVD takes a deeper look into the role faith and courage has played in carrying Josh Bleill from injured Marine veteran to his current role with the Indianapolis Colts.
We are offering a limited number of complimentary copies to churches, youth groups and community organizations. To request your FREE copy of the 2010-11 Faith, Courage & Football DVD, fill out the official Request Form (PDF) and mail it to the Colts at:
Indianapolis Colts
Attn: Faith, Courage & Football
PO Box 535000
Indianapolis, IN 46253
Once we receive your request, please allow 4-6 weeks for processing and shipment of your DVD. We will fulfill the requests on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Faith, Courage & Football is made possible through the generous support of Harris & Ford, LLC and Jonathan Byrd's Catering.
Briefly: The Indianapolis Colts and National Dairy Council have teamed up to provide free Fuel Up to Play 60 kits for Indiana schools.
Hoosiers Helping Hoosiers at Thanksgiving
In 2011, the Indianapolis Colts and Martin University, in partnership with Meijer, DEEM, Lucas Oil, WISH-TV and Campbell’s Chunky Soup, hosted the 3rd annual Hoosiers Helping Hoosiers at Thanksgiving Food Distribution event to provide 3,000 families from the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood with Thanksgiving meals and a $15 Meijer gift card.
Caroling at Riley Hospital for Children
Each December, Colts Owner and CEO invites players, cheerleaders and Blue to join him at Riley Hospital for Children to sing holiday carols and distribute gifts to patients. This annual Colts tradition has brought cheer to hundreds of children and their families over the years.
For more than 30 years, the NFL and the United Way have been teaming up to build healthier, stronger communities across America. To commemorate their longstanding partnership and continue the tradition of service, the NFL established the annual Hometown Huddle event.
Through Hometown Huddle, all 32 NFL teams across the country join with their local United Way offices on a designated Tuesday during the NFL season to host a community event celebrating the partnership. Locally, the Colts and the United Way of Central Indiana team up each year to host a Hometown Huddle in the Indianapolis community. Previous Colts Hometown Huddle events have included community service projects, fitness clinics, etc. and feature Colts players, cheerleaders and Blue.
For the 2011 Hometown Huddle, the Colts and United Way teamed up with Indiana Wesleyan University to create a Colts-themed fitness room at the Christamore House in Indianapolis, Ind. The room will be used by thousands of youth each year to provide a safe and fun place for them to be active 60 minutes each day.
United Way and the Indianapolis Colts
Hometown Huddle isn't the only way the Colts and the United Way of Central Indiana are teaming up to strengthen our community. Below are some additional ways we partnered to give back in 2011:
- 2011 Campaign Partner - The Indianapolis Colts were proud to support the 2011 United Way Campaign by donated prizes and incentives that helped raise more than $1 million for UWCI. Colts Owner and CEO Jim Irsay also donated $1 per fan in attendance at a Colts home game, which resulted in a donation of more than $67,000 to United Way. To find out how you can support United Way, visit www.uwci.org.
- Horseshoe Dreams - through a partnership with Ticketmaster, Colts Season Ticket Holders can donate their unused Colts tickets to United Way agencies.
To learn more about the United Way of Central Indiana, visit www.uwci.org.
The "PLAY 60 Challenge" is a six week program that asks youth and families to be active at least 60 minutes each day. The 2011 PLAY 60 Challenge was launched on Tuesday, October 4, at the Jordan YMCA. The winning students and family were recognized during the Colts vs. Panthers game on November 27.
Playground Build
For a fourth year, the Indianapolis Colts hosted their annual Playground Build to create a fun and safe playspace for hundreds of Indianapolis children. The 2011 playground build project took place at IPS School #69 and was made possible through the Colts, Sinclair Recreation, Rebuilding Together, Lucas Oil Products, National Starch and Stonegate Mortgage.
Every season, the Colts and Clarian Health team up to honor two Riley Hospital for Children patients at each home game.
The Indianapolis Colts joined Taco Bell to support the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Indiana.
