Frank and Linda Reich are passionate about what they do. Together, the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts and his wife created kNot Today, an organization directing more awareness and prevention to the sexual abuse, exploitation, and trafficking of children, and the necessity of restoration programs for those who have experienced this trauma.
The “knot” in the organization’s name symbolizes the untying of the knot of a sexual predator’s manipulation that the children are caught up in, says Linda. She explains that crimes against children happen in all communities, at all socioeconomic levels.
“Even though Indiana isn’t a border state, it isn’t an exception,” Linda says. “Throughout our time in the NFL, Coach and I have had the opportunity to travel from coast to coast and see, through community involvement and service, that the problem of children sexual abuse and exploitation is an issue effecting our entire country. We decided to utilize our platform and finances to make an impact in this space.”
Arriving in Indianapolis, Linda and Frank met with a nonprofit organization offering trauma recovery care for teen survivors of trafficking. “We are not a direct service provider,” Linda says. “But our organization functions as a connector bringing about awareness, initiating prevention strategies, and helping organizations — anyone who can possibly help prevent child sexual abuse and trauma. We want to be the umbrella organization and platform for allocating funding and support, and asking, ‘Where is the greatest need, and how can we help?’”
Eager to help in any way they could, the Reichs asked what the dream list of items needed in a program space would be for the local service provider. Thus, in October 2020, kNot Today dedicated a 17,000 square foot building on the far Eastside of Indianapolis, which they purchased and completely renovated top to bottom. “We said, if we are going to do this, we want to do it excellently to make the greatest impact to help children,” Linda says.
Everything in the structure is state of the art. “We have de-escalation rooms, dance rooms, yoga center rooms and playrooms. We wanted to make a safe space for children to share their experience with their therapist in comfortable settings that would enable them to start the restoration process,” Linda says. “Seventy percent of the building’s construction labor, materials and time were donated by Indianapolis subcontractors. We connected with Compass Construction locally and a national organization called Eight Days of Hope, and the local Indianapolis community, of which we had many, many wonderful organizations and corporations who donated.” The building now serves as kNot Today’s national headquarters, and also program space for local non-profit Ascent 121.
As the pandemic finally begins to wane, the Reichs are very encouraged to see the building coming to life so that children can be healed. “We are trying to make Indianapolis and Indiana shining stars in putting a stop to this tragedy against our nation’s children,” Linda says. kNot Today continues to work to spread awareness and create prevention initiatives in order to Protect the Beauty and Innocence of Childhood.
To learn more about kNOT Today, visit knottoday.org.
