Posted: Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Last week, hundreds of children learned what it takes to become quarterbacks of their own health at a free Change the Play camp inside the Carson Center on the University of Evansville campus. Evansville youth joined Indianapolis Colts Quarterback Andrew Luck and experts from Riley Children's at IU Health for the event.

Luck and Riley’s teamed up for the Change the Play program that was designed to teach kids how to make good decisions when it comes to health, fitness, and overall wellness. The camp featured several stations that gave the children several different experiences. Those stations featured activities that promoted an active lifestyle and healthy awareness.

“The beauty of this camp is that it is more than just football or basketball. It’s not necessarily a sports camp - it is a camp to have fun and learn a little bit about your health and living an active lifestyle,” Luck said. “The biggest thing for these children to take away is that you can have fun outside. In the summer, we would be outside for 8-9 hours a day, come home and eat dinner, and fall right asleep.”

Highlighting the experience for the campers was a chance to catch a pass from Luck. The quarterback had a great time with the attendees, having some run long routes as if they were catching a touchdown. Luck also threw a pass to Ace Purple while completing an alley-oop to members of the Aces men’s basketball team.

Truly making this a community experience for Evansville was the fact that several UE student-athletes joined athletes from local high schools to work the event. Prior to the start of the camp, Luck had a chance to meet with the group and took time to shake each and every hand and pose for pictures.

“I had a chance to talk to a bunch of the UE athletes. I am truly appreciative of them coming out,” Luck explained. “I wished them good luck. Being a college athlete is a wonderful thing - there are so many opportunities that open up. It was fun to listen to their experiences.”

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