The Indianapolis Colts have named Chanel Parker, quality-of-life coordinator for the Marion Superior Court Youth Services Center, as the recipient of the team's 2025 Inspire Change Changemaker Award.
The award recognizes individuals who are making a difference in their communities through social justice work – primarily in education, economic advancement, police-community relations or criminal justice reform – across each of the NFL's 32 club markets.
Chanel will be recognized before the Colts' season finale at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 28. What's more, she will receive a $10,000 donation from the NFL Foundation, which will go directly toward a nonprofit of her choice.
Chanel has served as quality-of-life coordinator at the youth services center since 2005. In this role, she works with detained youth and provides them with dynamic, impactful and meaningful program experiences that hopefully will help deter them from future interactions with the criminal justice system.
As such, she has cultivated a robust network of community volunteers – including clergy, educators, professional athletes, barbers, artists and musicians and ex-offenders – who share their stories with and provide regular programming for the young residents. She thoughtfully selects experiences that positively impact residents' lives, not only while they are at the center, but long after they leave.
Chanel is highly regarded by court staff and the many volunteers who understand how tirelessly she works to benefit the young people in her care. Her accessibility and availability, working all hours to make certain programs occur without a hitch, is well-known. She is a regular at the center on Thanksgivings and Christmases, making sure every detail for the residents' holidays is in place.
She does not view her job as "work," but as a calling to improve the lives of at-risk detained residents, many of whom are youth of color. Her dedication to them is inspiring, heartwarming and life-changing for children in our community who need it most.
Inspire Change is the NFL's social justice initiative which showcases the collaborative efforts of players, owners and the league to create positive change in communities across the country and ensure that equal opportunity becomes a reality for all. Since 2017, the NFL family has provided more than $460 million to grant partners and hundreds of grassroots organizations across the country.
For more info on Inspire Change and the Changemaker Award, visit NFL.com/Changemakers.
