INDIANAPOLIS — It’s the Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital Homecoming Celebration, and it aims to bring joy, resilience and community spirit to patients and their families.
Lucas Oil Stadium was transformed into a celebration zone on Tuesday, equipped with a sports-themed runway, interactive field games and plenty of mascots.
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The inaugural celebration gives kids a chance to be kids again.
“We love Homecoming. We love the excitement and camaraderie. And we were like, 'We can do this. We can make Homecoming here for the kids,'" President of Lucas Oil Katie Lucas said.
Lucas knows the uphill battle families climb firsthand.
“One of our sons was a patient at Peyton Manning, and by the grace of God, he was only there a few days. It really opened our eyes to all the children that are there for months and sometimes years at a time," she said.
Tony Dingle has been receiving care at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital for a decade. The 13-year-old is filled with gratitude.
“You mean some deep to me inside my heart. Thank you," Dingle said.
The evening represented a strong collaboration between Ascension St. Vincent, Lucas Oil, Indianapolis Colts and Pacers Sports & Entertainment.
“One of the best things about living in Indianapolis is all these community partners we have…Everyone we reached out to was excited to jump on board," Called to Care Chair Cali Estes, the celebration’s organizer, said. “Called to Care is a group of women. This is our second year. We got together to give back. Basically, we just wanted different ways to be involved in the hospital, raise money, host events.”
They hope this year’s homecoming is the first of many.
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Nico Pennisi is the In Your Community reporter for Downtown Indy. He joined WRTV in October 2022. His passion has always been telling the stories of people who often get overlooked. Share your story ideas and important issues with Nico by emailing him at nico.pennisi@wrtv.com.
