Our Partners.

Peyton and Archie Manning. Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and his father, legendary quarterback Archie Manning, are the heart and soul of Project 18. Their participation makes it all possible.

Peyton Manning Children's Hospital at St.Vincent. The pediatric doctors, nurses and others at Peyton Manning Children's Hospital - and in all of the St.Vincent Health network - are the quiet heroes behind Project 18.

Marsh Supermarkets. With a commitment to the community that's unrivaled by any other supermarket in Indiana, Marsh Supermarkets is truly devoted to helping Hoosier kids be healthier.

Ball State University. The commitment and expertise of Ball State's Building Better Communities Fellows was instrumental in getting Project 18 off the ground.

Aramark. Aramark confirms their commitment to nutrition by implementing “Project 18 Approved” menu selections in their kid’s menus at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St.Vincent.

The Project 18 Press Room.

You may have seen Peyton Manning and Project 18 on television lately. These are the public service announcements we’ve been running to help kids, parents, and teachers become aware of Project 18 and its goal to help kids.

Peyton Manning - Child Obesity

2010 Winner of the Project 18 Challenge

Peyton Manning Announces Winner of the Project 18 Statewide School Health and Wellness Challenge
Winning School Earns a Visit from the Pro Bowl Quarterback and Financial Reward

INDIANAPOLIS – Today, Peyton Manning and Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St.Vincent officials announced South Grove Intermediate School as the 2009/2010 winner of the Project 18 Statewide School Health and Wellness Challenge.

Project 18 is a collaborative effort with Manning, Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital, Marsh Supermarkets, Ball State University and Strategic Marketing & Research, Inc. (SMARI). The project, which is named after Manning’s football jersey number, provides Indiana elementary schools with an 18-week health and wellness curriculum designed to address the major risk behaviors in third-grade to fifth-grade students. The program focuses on the areas of nutrition, physical activity and holistic health.

As the winning school, South Grove received $2,500 toward its respective health and wellness program, and the Indianapolis Colts quarterback will make a special visit on May 11. The Beech Grove-based school was selected over three other finalists: Holy Name Catholic School, Orchard Park Elementary School and St. Matthew Catholic School.

“Our intention with Project 18 is to educate and change children’s eating habits and activity levels,” said Anne Coleman, administrator of Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St.Vincent and St.Vincent Women’s Hospital. “The commitment from these students throughout the year is a significant step in the right direction to fighting childhood obesity in our state. We are proud of our four school finalists, and encourage others to get involved next year.”

Approximately, 250 registered schools within 60 Indiana counties competed in the Project 18 Challenge. The four school finalists followed the 18-week health and wellness curriculum, and completed the challenge requirements, which included a teacher survey, pre-and post-assessment scores and a 500-word essay. Two schools also calculated their body mass index during the course of the year.

To comply with Project 18 Challenge requirements, South Grove integrated the curriculum, and created a “Minutes 4 Manning” video to supplement their lesson plans. South Grove also creatively used technology to enhance the learning environment, hosted clinical experts, started classes with physical activity and served more fruits and vegetables in the cafeteria.

Holy Name Catholic School completed the body mass index exercise for their entire school, while Orchard Park hosted a community-wide health fair. St. Matthew’s established the “St. Matthew’s School Moves to the Super Bowl,” which tracked the number of steps students took during the three weeks leading up to Super Bowl XLIV. The school determined that it was 1,200 miles to Miami, FL., and was able to accomplish their goal of walking to the big game.

In 2008, Indiana ranked 11th in the country for obesity. Approximately one-third of Hoosier children are overweight, and are more likely to develop high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, low self-esteem and depression.

Here's South Grove's winning video entry:

Here's Peyton's congratulations video to the winning school:

This website is intended to provide an overview of the program's foundational principles and connect you with resources. You may also contact us:

Phone: 317-338-KIDS (5437)
Address: 10330 North Meridian Street, Suite 400, Indianapolis, IN 46290
Email: project18@stvincent.org