To honor National Philanthropy Day, a day established by Congress in 1986 to recognize the great contributions that philanthropic efforts have made to our world, the Indianapolis Colts and local youth tapped into their inner-artist to create a masterpiece for the Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center. A four-panel mural created on Tuesday, November 16 was the final product of a service project sponsored by the Indianapolis Colts, the Youth Philanthropy Initiative of Indiana ("YPII"), Art With A Heart, and the Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center, to celebrate the spirit of giving.
The mural, painted by Colts players Cornelius Brown, David Caldwell, Jeff Linkenbach, Jeff Moturi, and Kevin Thomas along with youth from George Washington High School and the Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center, expresses a philanthropic theme unique to the organizations involved. The four panels represent both the four pillars of YPII's philosophy and the work that the Mary Rigg Center does for their local community: serving, giving, leading and engaging.
Prior to beginning the mural project, the students learned about the importance of philanthropy from Mary Rigg staff through resources provided by the Youth Philanthropy Initiative. In addition to the mural, the students also created skits and a video highlighting their lessons learned about donating time, talent, and money to make a difference in the community.
About the Project Partners
Youth Philanthropy Initiative of Indiana (YPII)
The Youth Philanthropy Initiative of Indiana ("YPII"), a special project of the Indiana Grantmakers Alliance Foundation, provides youth philanthropy education, trainings, best practices and resources to non-profits, schools and community foundations. Over 40 partner organizations are involved in the statewide YPII Partner Network sharing the common goal of engaging Indiana youth in giving and serving in their local communities.For more information visit **www.ypin.org**
*Art With A Heart *Art With a Heart (AWaH) is a non-profit organization founded in 2002 to bring high quality visual art education to children and youth in underserved communities. Art With a Heart provides a hands-on visual art experience to educate and inspire at-risk children. The organization works with grades K-8 in schools and community centers in Indianapolis to provide kindergarten, afterschool and summer programs. In addition,they offer an Honors Art program on Saturday mornings throughout the school year for talented children to help further develop their artistic abilities. For more information visit www.artwithaheart.us.
MaryRigg Neighborhood Center**
Located on the southwest side of Indianapolis, Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center provides help and hope to children, families, and a community challenged by under-education, unemployment, and urban poverty. Since 1911, the center has been helping families with meals and emergency assistance, connecting kids and adults to new educational and job opportunities, and strengthening community through service and collaboration. Each year more than 8,000 neighbors turn to the center for assistance.
