Generosity is part of Peyton Manning's mark

While Peyton Manning is being honored for his athletic accomplishments, his generosity is proving to be a big part of his NFL legacy.

Manning's foundation, the "Peyback Foundation," makes dozens of donations to organizations in need.  The contributions are for charities in Colorado, Louisiana, Indiana and Tennessee.

Yet some of his most moving acts have been simple acts of kindness.

In 2005, Manning sent a personal letter and an autographed photograph to a grieving family.  Evansville, Indiana teenager Logan Brown was killed by a drunken driver.  

"As a grandmother I felt like I should let Peyton know this young man idolized him and what he meant in his life," said his grandmother Gayle Ricketts.

Earlier this year, Manning made a personal phone call to a Colorado Springs woman with cancer.  Cindy Harris and daughter Bri received two tickets to the game.  Cindy held a sign that read, "my last wish came true, now win!"

Manning was praised by team leaders for his community commitment during his retirement announcement.

"We all had an idea of what a special player Peyton was, but what we didn’t know was how much his impact would stretch far beyond the playing field," Broncos president Joe Ellis said. "I can stand here today and tell you that Peyton Manning made our team better, he made our organization better and he made our community better."