Connie Payton, the wife of the late Walter Payton, will be honored on June 27 as the recipient of the PeyBack Award from the PeyBack Foundation of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning. Connie Payton will be recognized at Conseco Fieldhouse as part of the Pathfinder Awards which is held in conjunction with the Youthlinks Indiana Celebrity Golf Tournament.

Connie Payton joins Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach and former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino as a PeyBack honoree. The award goes to someone currently or formerly in professional football who exhibits character, integrity and honor, and who has given something back to the game and society.

The Walter and Connie Payton Foundation which is dedicated to the emotional healing of neglected, abused and underprivileged children by providing tools and opportunities to build self-esteem and encourage a better family unit giving hope for a brighter future. The Foundation, which was started in 1998, helps abused, neglected & underprivileged children through the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services.

"We are honored to have Connie coming to Indianapolis to receive this award," PeyBack Foundation President Peyton Manning said. "Connie has made a difference in her community through the Walter and Connie Payton Foundation. I had the opportunity to meet Walter several times when he played against my father. I am looking forward to spending time with Connie in Indianapolis."

The Walter and Connie Payton Foundation operate several programs in Illinois, including the annual Holiday Giving Program. The program distributes gifts to needy children each December. More than 40,000 needy children have received toys and clothing among other items since its inception. Other programs include the Back to School Supply Drive which supplies bags with school supplies to children.

"My husband started his foundation in the hope of providing for the needy and neglected children within the state of Illinois," Connie Payton said. "Walter made the Payton name mean something special and we, his family, accept the challenge to make only good things happen in the Payton name."

Following the death of her husband to cancer, Connie Payton established the Walter Payton Cancer Fund which seeks to aid to find an ultimate cure for cancer, and focuses on supporting efforts to find effective treatment to mitigate the ravages of the disease. Connie Payton speaks regularly to groups in Chicago about the power of the family unit.

Connie's daughter, Brittney, established the Youth for Life campaign. The non-profit campaign is committed to educating young adults about the life-giving gift of organ donation. The campaign, named in honor of her father, includes a series of school forums on the subject of organ donation.

In addition to programs already in motion, the Walter and Connie Payton Foundation continue to dream. New programs are being initiated to provide children with the tools and the opportunities to become winners!

Walter Payton was the NFL Most Valuable Player in both 1977 and 1985. His long list of accomplishments includes 16,726 rushing yards with 100 touchdowns. His rushing yardage total ranks second all-time. After being drafted in the first round by the Chicago Bears out of Jackson State, Walter went on to play in nine Pro Bowls and run for more than 100 yards in 77 games. He missed only one game in his 13-year career.

For more information about the Connie and Walter Payton Foundation, please visit www.payton34.com.

Portions of this release were taken from www.payton34.com.