In recognition of the countless Heroes throughout the state of Indiana, the Indiana Pacers and Veolia Water present the Indiana Heroes Award. 

This award is presented to an individual or group of individuals who have made an overwhelming impact on the lives of others and who, through their unique commitment and humanitarian spirit, have made exceptional and lasting contributions to our community and our State.

During the 2010-11 season, a total of 93 Indiana Heroes were recognized representing 14 Indiana cities & towns.

In celebration of the NBA’s Season of Giving Campaign, the annual “Come to Our House” Thanksgiving Dinner offers the opportunity for disadvantaged men, women & children to receive a home-cooked Thanksgiving Meal.  In addition, participants also have the opportunity to interact with Pacers players & coaches and receive cold-weather items to help them cope with the cold Indiana winters.

The 2010-11 event took place on Wednesday, November 17, where the Indiana Pacers hosted over 600 men, women and children from area downtown missions and shelters for Thanksgiving Dinner at Conseco Fieldhouse.  For the 2nd consecutive year, the dinner was presented by Indiana Pacers players TJ Ford, Dahntay Jones and US Foodservice and prepared by Levy Restaurants.

Members of the Indiana Pacers, including players, coaches and training staff, along with Indiana Pacemates, Boomer and members of the local media were on hand to help serve dinner, mingle with the guests, and fill goody bags with cold-weather and personal hygiene items. 

Everyone in attendance received a Pacers tote bag, which were filled with the following items; hat, pair of gloves, pair of socks, towel, washcloth, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, hand warmers, long-sleeve t-shirt and ear wraps.  In addition, each person in attendance also received two tickets an Indiana Pacers home game in December and were eligible for the Pacers raffle where they could receive additional cold-weather Pacers items such as jackets, hats, gloves, sweat suits, etc.

Additional event sponsors included Finish Line, Kroger, Adidas, Indiana Fever Head Coach Lin Dunn and Hardee’s.

Each year, members of the Indiana Pacers team, along with Boomer and members of the Indiana Pacemates visit area children’s hospitals to help spread a little holiday cheer. Hospital visits include Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St. Vincent, Riley Children’s Hospital and Methodist Children’s Hospital.

Pacers team members are divided into groups to enable visits to all of the hospitals at the same time, with each patient receiving special gifts and the opportunity to take a photo or get an autograph from their favorite player, mascot or Pacemate.

For the 2010-11 season Levy Restaurants partnered with the Pacers for these annual visits providing each patient with a bag of sugar-free cookies and a giant “thank you” cookie to the staff of each hospital.  In addition, Pacers Sports & Entertainment employees created homemade blankets during their quarterly Community Service Day activity, which were in turn distributed to each of the patients.

Each year the Indiana Pacers partner with a non-profit children’s organization and treat them to a shopping spree at a select retail outlet.  For 2010-11 the Pacers partnered with Simon Malls and hosted the event at Sears in the Greenwood Park Mall. 

Pacers players, Indiana Pacemates and Boomer teamed up with children from the Johnson County United Way, taking them throughout the store and assisting them in picking out special gifts with Gift Cards donated by Simon Malls.

In addition, the children and their families were also treated to a pre-game meal courtesy of Simon Malls and Chick-fil-A and received game tickets for the December 20 Pacers game.

As part of the Pacers commitment to service, we provide donations to events & fundraisers to non-profit organizations based on the following criteria:

1. All requests must be provided at least six weeks prior to the date of the event. 
2. All donation requests must be submitted online and must provide a not-for-profit tax ID number.
3. Requests will only be made to non-profit organizations within the state of Indiana.
4. Only one donation will be made per organization per Pacers calendar year (July 1 – June 30)

To request a merchandise donation from the Indiana Pacers, visit www.pacersmvp.com/donate

Each year the Indiana Pacers hosts a Coat Drive to benefit a local non-profit organization.  The community is invited to donate their coats in exchange for tickets to an upcoming Pacers game.  All coats collected are then donated to benefit an area shelter.

For the 2010-11 season the Pacers and Dick’s Sporting Goods teamed up with Pacers player T.J. Ford for the annual Coat Drive to benefit HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program.  Fans were invited to stop by Dick’s Sporting Goods in Castleton and donate a new or gently used coat and receive two tickets per donated coat for an upcoming Indiana Pacers game.  Indiana Pacers mascot Boomer and members of the Indiana Pacemates were also on hand to take photos and sign autographs for everyone making a donation.

As part of the NBA Cares Week of Service, the Indiana Pacers visited Fire Station #13 in downtown Indianapolis to thank the fire men & women serving our community. 

The Pacers Fan Van, which features interactive games such as cornhole, prize wheel and basketball shoot, was on hand along with members of the Indiana Pacemates and Boomer, the Pacers mascot. 

In addition members of the Indiana Pacers team helped prepare “Taco & Sundae Night” for everyone in attendance.  After dinner the firemen provided station tours, which included teaching the players how to properly slide down the fire pole and “ride the bucket” in the cities tallest extended ladder.

Players, Pacemates and Boomer took photos, signed autographs and provided the Firemen with customized luggage, Pacers t-shirts and game tickets.

NBA GREEN WEEK
NBA Green, in partnership with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), is a league wide program that generates awareness and funds for protecting the environment and promoting sustainable practices.  Through NBA Green, the league, its teams and players are taking steps to be more environmentally friendly and encourage fans to get involved in local greening initiatives. 

During NBA Green week, the league and teams join together to take part in green efforts including hands-on community service projects, recycling programs, green giveaways, auctions to support environmental organizations and promotions to encourage fans to “go green”.

In support of NBA Green Week the Pacers players will be wearing organic cotton shooting shirts provided by adidas, Green Wristbands and Green Headbands and Pacers coaches will be wearing NBA Green pins throughout the week.

The Indiana Pacers and Cummins are committed to promoting the development and well-being of our community.  To
continue those efforts, the Indiana Pacers provide a unique way to enhance our non-profit resources with the PACERS CARES NON-PROFIT SPOTLIGHT PROGRAM presented by CUMMINS.

Non-profits are invited to share in a new means to raise funds, increase awareness of their mission, and grow their
volunteer base.  Through this program, non-profits select a Pacers game from the Pacers Spotlight Series, where
they are featured as the Community Partner of the night. Groups receive a personalized flyer and an online ticket
purchasing link to promote the event where they will receive a portion of proceeds from each ticket sold.

For more information on the Non-Profit Spotlight Nights, contact Hannah Guess at hguess@pacers.com. 

The National Basketball Coaches Association, team general managers, the NBA Athletic Trainers Association, the National Basketball Association and Boys & Girls Clubs of America host the Coaches for Kids program. The program provides thousands of children from Boys & Girls Clubs the chance to see NBA games in each of the league’s 29 markets as well as the opportunity to meet with and learn from the league’s coaches, GMs and athletic trainers.

Beginning in the 2008-09 season, NBA coaches, assistant coaches, GMs and athletic trainers contribute through the Coaches for Kids program to Boys & Girls Clubs of America, which enable the organization to provide tickets to NBA games for more than 30,000 children. Children attending as part of the program will also have the opportunity to meet with the members of the team’s basketball staff and learn the fundamentals of the game, the values of sportsmanship and teamwork, and the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

For more information on the Coaches for Kids Program contact Dionna Widder at dwidder@pacers.com.