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Football fans know the name Peyton Manning in conjunction wit plenty of milestones: he's the son of All-American quarterback Archie Manning; he's the guy who chose to play out his senior year in college before turning pro; he's the quarterback that was selected to resurrect the dying Indianapolis Colts; and he's on track to be one of the greatest QBs the game has ever seen. In a word, Peyton Manning knows football.

What many may not know is that in his young life, Peyton has already accomplished charitable feats that rival his achievements on the field. Only a year after his selection in the '98 draft, Peyton turned his eye to the community and established the PeyBack Foundation to promote the future successes of disadvantaged youth by assisting programs whose mission is providing youth leadership and growth opportunities. It was quite a cap to a notable rookie year!

The PeyBack Foundation not only supports programs in Peyton's new home state of Indiana, but also reaches out to youth in his childhood home of New Orleans and his former college haunt, Tennessee. As Peyton explains it, "I'm one of the lucky people who grew up in a home where nothing was more important or more caring than my family. I want to help kids try to live similar lives to what I had." And Peyton is making that dream a reality in more ways than one.

The PeyBack Foundation supports youth programs such as the Boys & Girls Club, the YMCA, Coats For Kids and various local community foundations. In the Fall of 2000, Peyton and the Foundation donated $5,000 to the Coats For Kids campaign. In addition to program support, the Foundation also takes direct action to raise funds and spirits, improving the lives of countless youths. The inaugural PeyBack Classic, begun in 2000, enables five inner-city Indianapolis high school football teams to play in the RCA Dome while raising money for their schools' beleaguered sports programs. $50,000 in proceeds are donated between high schools for each year of the event. The Foundation also reaches beyond athletics, playing Santa to children in foster care or residential treatment programs over the holidays.

As if that weren't enough to keep Peyton busy, he is an avid and long-time participant in CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) for abused and neglected children. His hands-on involvement includes coaching a yearly flag football game and spending quality time with foster kids who, he reminds the community, "are like any kids, they deserve to be loved and want to feel safe."

Peyton's work with the community was most recently recognized with the 2001 American Dream Award, but that doesn't distract him from the real purpose of his involvement. Peyton's just hoping to spread a little enthusiasm around town. Following the first PeyBack Classic, Peyton recalled, "After visiting the locker room of each team…and seeing the enthusiasm the kids had, I knew we had to do this again. I hope the community will show even more support for these kids this year."

And next year, and the year after. For just as we watch Peyton on the field, we can all take a lesson from his commitment outside the game.

For information or contributions, write the PeyBack Foundation, 201 South Capital Ave., Suite 1200, Indianapolis, IN 46228-1069, call (877) 873-9225 or visit www.peytonmanning.com.