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INDIANAPOLIS - On Tuesday, November 11, 2014, the Indianapolis Colts and approximately 50 local students decorated 200 Colts footballs that were placed in care packages and delivered to the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis. This was the fifth consecutive year the Indianapolis Colts visited the VA Medical Center on Veterans Day to honor those who served in the military.
To begin the day, Colts DE Kelcy Quarles, LB Trevardo Williams, S Winston Guy and Mascot Blue joined Thomas Gregg students to write messages of gratitude and encouragement on footballs. Quarles talked to students about the important role that positive messages play in the recovery process for veterans and Williams read a children's book about Veterans Day and its importance in our lives. In the afternoon, Colts LB Josh McNary, who is an Army veteran, and OT Ulrick John delivered the decorated footballs to patients at the Roudebush VA Medical Center. The group spent time with veterans to thank them for their service to our country.
"It hits really close to home," McNary said. "I'm very familiar with the Army and I've been in the culture ever since I graduated high school. Beyond that, we have a long legacy of service members within my family and it really gave me an appreciation for service members and all they do, foreign and domestic. It does mean a lot, these guys deserve to be honored day in and day out."
This visit was a part of the NFL's league-wide "Salute to Service" campaign, honoring veterans and active duty members during the month of November.
50 students from IPS #15 elementary school decorated footballs that were delivered to the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center by Colts players.
About Colts Community Tuesdays
During the regular NFL season, Tuesday is the only day off players receive. As a result, the Colts utilize every Tuesday to engage their players in various charitable events and programs throughout Central Indiana. From schools and hospital visits to blood drives and holiday outreach, Colts players participate in a wide variety of "Community Tuesday" activities throughout the season. Colts Community Tuesdays are supported in part by WTHR Channel 13.
Follow the Colts throughout the community *@coltscommunity* on Twitter and *Colts in the Community* on Facebook. For more information on all of the Colts outreach efforts, visit www.colts.com/community.
About Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center
Since 1932 the VA Medical Center has been serving veterans, providing acute inpatient medical, surgical, psychiatric, neurological, and rehabilitation care, as well as both primary and specialized outpatient services. Some noteworthy specialized services include comprehensive cardiac care, radiation oncology treatment and community based extended care. The medical center operates three Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC's) located in Bloomington, Martinsville, and Terre Haute, Indiana. The more than 60,000 patients (3,700 women Veterans) treated by the Indianapolis VA Medical Center require over 613,000 outpatient visits and almost 7,900 inpatient episodes of care yearly.
