Colts players give back to the community every Tuesday

While most NFL players have their own individual charitable foundations or focus on providing their support a specific charity, they also often participate as a team to give back to the community. In Indianapolis, the Colts get together on Tuesdays to find numerous ways to make a difference.

Yesterday, the Colts completed the 10th annual project playground event. They built a playground at a local school that needs a new place for children to get outside and stay active.

During previous Colts community Tuesdays, players have helped prepare food at Second Helpings to provide hunger relief to those who need it.

The team has visited local elementary schools to read to children.

The team has even helped raise dental awareness for children and helped them come in for a checkup.

Of course, Tuesdays aren’t the only day the team gives back and there has certainly been a great deal of outreach throughout the week. Earlier this week, on Monday the Colts visited John Marshall Middle School and discussed the importance of education.

Quarterback Andrew Luck works a great deal with the Riley’s children hospital and has encouraged healthy habits for elementary school students.

The team also visited Riley during the holidays last year in a large group in order to spread some holiday cheer (they’re not very good singers).

While it is easy to get caught up in narratives about superstar athletes who are privileged to play a game and earn a lot of money doing so, it’s important to remember that these players are all just people too. They are a group of people who have spent significant portions of their lives off of the field giving back to their community and who try to make a difference for those who are in need.

It was also inspiring to see how the NFL, and players like J.J. Watt, came together to raise a lot of money to assist in the hurricane rebuilding efforts following hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Players and teams ignored logos and rivalries and joined together to support weather stricken areas to start the NFL season.

To learn more about how the Indianapolis Colts give back to the community, visit the Community Relations page on Colts.com.