Colts and Packers team up for 'Kicking The Stigma' to tackle mental health

Kicking The Stigma partnered with Ascension St. Vincent to host its inaugural "Inside The Huddle" event, focusing on maternal mental health and the journey through parenthood. The event was designed for new and prospective parents and professionals and organizations who provide care to those in need.

The Colts partnered with Pike High School's Bring Change To Mind chapter for a mental health meetup event. Players and cheerleaders talked with students, discussing the power of positivity, and participated in activities like writing encouraging postcards for someone in their life and creating advocacy bracelets with significant words or phrases.

The Indianapolis Colts hosted their third annual "Beyond the Sidelines," a fundraiser event benefiting Kicking the Stigma, an initiative dedicated to raising awareness about mental health disorders and combating the stigma surrounding them.

Proceeds from the event support Kicking The Stigma Action Grants, which provide vital funding to nonprofits and organizations, primarily in Indiana, that promote mental health awareness and offer essential services. To date, Kicking The Stigma has awarded $6.4 million in Action Grants to more than 60 community organizations, helping make a significant impact in the fight for mental health advocacy.

Indianapolis Colts staff from across the front office team up to pack Kicking The Stigma co-branded coffee cup sleeves with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). The featured sleeves will be shipped to 65+ coffee shops across Indiana to promote mental health awareness.

Participating in a Joint Service Project Colts and Cardinals players and coaches supported a Kicking The Stigma Action Grant recipient, The Milk Bank, by building Lactation after Loss Kits. The kits provide mothers experiencing pregnancy or infant loss with bereavement and grief resources, and supplies for mothers interested in donating their breast milk. The teams also joined forces by writing positive letters to families and nurses in Neonatal Intensive Care Units and mental healthcare professionals.

The Indianapolis Indians partnered with Kicking The Stigma to host Mental Health Awareness Night on Friday evening at Victory Field. The evening featured Kicking The Stigma in-park activations including a ceremonial first pitch, an inflatable kicking game in the Center Field Plaza, postgame fireworks, and more.

The Indianapolis Colts hosted "Beyond the Sidelines," a fundraiser benefiting Kicking the Stigma, an initiative that raises awareness about mental health disorders and removes the stigma often associated with these illnesses.

The Colts participated in a joint service project with the Bears at the Grand Park Events Center. Players and coaches from each team built Kicking The Stigma Kits for elementary-aged children that promote kindness, provide stress-relieving activities, and raise awareness about the importance of being kind and wrote thank you notes for mental health professionals that will be delivered throughout the community on World Mental Health Day, October 10th.

In an effort to join the national movement and raise awareness, we observe Mental Health Awareness Month and our goal to continue to kick the stigma by educating Colts fans and the Indiana community, providing resources, and advocating for change in the space.

In part, we are launching our exclusive "Stronger Together" T-Shirt, created by Homefield, to represent the strength in numbers and our community. Proceeds from the Kicking the Stigma Collection benefit the Kicking The Stigma Action Fund. Available online and in the Colts Pro Shop at Lucas Oil Stadium.

At a kickoff event for the new Irsay Institute, IU President Pamela Whitten joined Kalen Jackson, vice chair and owner of the Indianapolis Colts, and Bernice Pescosolido, Distinguished Professor of Sociology in the IU College of Arts and Sciences and director of the institute, to celebrate the opening. The Irsay Institute, a new research institute at Indiana University in Morrison Hall on the IU Bloomington campus, has formally launched its mission to become a leading national center for addressing the stigma surrounding mental illness and other health issues such as HIV, epilepsy, cancer, dementia and addiction.

Beyond The Sidelines is the first in-person fundraiser event to benefit Kicking The Stigma, the Indianapolis Colts, and Irsay family initiative to raise awareness about mental health disorders and remove the shame and stigma associated with these illnesses. Through the Beyond The Sidelines Event, the Irsay Family looks to grow Kicking The Stigma's impact on mental health awareness and treatment.

Funds raised go toward the Kicking The Stigma Action Grants, which support non-profits and organizations that raise awareness about mental health or provide mental health treatment services.

As a part of Mental Awareness Month, the Irsay Family along with Indianapolis Colts players and staff took part in a Find Your Anchor Boxing Event. As a part of the event, the team boxed 300 care boxes for the grassroots movement charity aimed at suicide prevention, awareness and education. To learn more about Find Your Anchor, visit, findyouranchor.us.