INDIANAPOLIS — NOTE: The above video is from when the Irsay family announced a partnership with Riley Children's Health in early January.
The Irsay family, owners of the Indianapolis Colts, announced on Wednesday a $500,000 donation that will fund the building of a center providing addiction recovery resources.
The donation is being made to Pathway to Recovery, an Indianapolis nonprofit that provides supportive housing for people in recovery from substance use disorders.
The Colts Connection Center will be "a purpose-driven gathering place for residents, partners and the recovery community, at the Pathway Expansion Project, the next and seventh phase of the nonprofit's housing program," the team said in a statement.
"The opposite of addiction is connection, so my family and the Colts are proud to support this center that will connect residents, partners and the rest of the recovery community and provide a safe and supportive place for those who are battling addiction," Colts owner and CEO Jim Irsay said in a statement.
The 2,000-square-foot center will be located in Pathway to Recovery's Mapleton-Fall Creek property north of downtown. Services that will be provided include:
- Peer support and recovery coach training
- Recovery group 12-Step meetings, including recovery meditation and yoga
- Financial literacy, budgeting, credit and home ownership counseling
- Board, staff, resident and community partner meetings
- Employment preparation and placement activities to promote self-sufficiency
"Thanks to generous donors like the Irsays, Pathway is grateful for the opportunity to increase housing and support for countless Hoosiers recovering from substance use disorder," Sandy Jeffers, executive director of Pathway to Recovery, said in a statement. "We are committed to paying this gift forward through revitalizing the communities and individuals we serve in Indianapolis."
The donation is part of the Irsays' "Kicking the Stigma" initiative to raise awareness about mental health disorders.
In early January, the family announced a partnership with Riley Children's Health to expand mental health services for children and teens. A $650,000 donation was made to expanding the Indiana Behavioral Health Access Program for Youth (Be Happy).