During the 2011 season, 15 Bears players visited 20 different Chicago Public Schools to speak to, motivate and interact with students as part of the Bears School Outreach program.  The theme for player visits was character development, goal setting, commitment to excellence, and the importance of leading a healthy and active lifestyle. 

Players who participated in the Bears School Outreach program in 2011 included:  Anthony Adams, Kahlil Bell, Zack Bowman, Chris Conte, Tyler Clutts, Dom DeCicco, Frank Omiyale, Julius Peppers, Dane Sanzenbacher, Matt Spaeth, Craig Steltz, J'Marcus Webb, Edwin Williams and Corey Wootton.

Bears School Outreach is brought to you by University of Phoenix, official education partner of the Chicago Bears.

Through the “Hello to Our Heroes” program, fans and students are encouraged to write letters to veterans who have courageously served our country.  These letters will be hand delivered by players during visits to local veterans’ hospitals.  The “Hello to Our Heroes” program, which is brought to you by Boeing, was developed by the Chicago Bears in 2005 to support members of the military.  All students who write letters will receive a small Bears item.
 
Letters can be mailed to Chicago Bears, Attn: Community Relations, 1920 Football Dr., Lake Forest, IL 60045.

Please note that letters should not contain last names or e-mail addresses, mailing addresses, or phone numbers.

Click here to download stationary.

For the eighth consecutive school year, the Chicago Bears and ComEd have partnered together to bring the "Tales to Tackle" reading program to students throughout Chicago and the suburbs. Last year, this reading incentive program reached over 4,000 middle school students. The main component of the "Tales to Tackle" program is a reading notebook, which includes photos of Bears players. The notebook also includes a list of suggested books and has plenty of space for students to write book reports and allows the students to keep track of the books that they read during the program.

Every child who achieves the goal of reading three books per month for the three month period is entered into a random drawing for the chance to win a special "Bears Experience" at Halas Hall in Lake Forest. The "Tales to Tackle" program is sponsored by ComEd, and is a component of the Chicago Bears Education initiative, which is presented by Chase. Teachers interested in bringing the "Tales to Tackle" reading program to their school should call the Chicago Bears community relations department at (847) 739-5308 for more information.

The Chicago Bears and Symetra would like to congratulate the following teachers for being named a 2011 Symetra "Hero in the Classroom": Dianna Granata of Evergreen Park Community High School, Karen Reyes of Henry Winkleman Elementary School, Carolyn Kosiba of Apollo Elementary School, Crystal Lanski of Camelot Therapeutic Day School, Deyana Matt of Westfield Middle School, Andre Poisson of MacArthur Middle School, Eufrosina Delgado Arroyo of Carl Von Linne Elementary School, Kevin Rutter of Carl Schurz High School, Andy Isaacson of Willowbrook High School, Michael Cicirale of Hillcrest High School, Eric Hendricks of Providence St. Mel School, Sophia Michalek of Geneva High School, Hollis Axelrod of Kipling Elementary School, Julie Witczak of Caruso Middle School, Jeff Vlk of Buffalo Grove High School and Maureen Suchecki of Indian Grove Elementary School.

The Chicago Bears and Symetra Financial partnered to bring the Symetra "Heroes in the Classroom" program to schools throughout Chicagoland.  Presented locally by Gallagher Benefit Services, the program recognized Chicago area teachers for outstanding leadership and instructional skills.  Sixteen K-12 teachers were named a Symetra "Hero in the Classroom" during the 2011 Bears season.  Each winning teacher was recognized with a surprise presentation at their school, where they received a $1,000 donation to their school, a $250 gift card for classroom books and supplies, and tickets to a 2011 Bears home game. 

 

Play 60 is the NFL's youth health and fitness campaign. Designed to help tackle childhood obesity, Play 60 focuses on making the next generation of kids the most active and healthy by encouraging them to get at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day.

The Bears implement the Play 60 message through a variety of in-school, after-school, web-based and youth-based programs - all with an emphasis on the importance of physical fitness and healthy lifestyles. The Chicago Bears encourage kids throughout Chicagoland to...Get Up and Play, An Hour a Day! For more information, please visit NFLRush.com.

Congratulations to Daniel Boone Elementary School in Chicago for winning the 2011 Bears Bears PLAY 60 Challenge!  The Chicago Bears and American Heart Association launched the 2011 Bears PLAY 60 Challenge in eight local schools this fall. The Challenge is intended to teach elementary school students about staying fit by creating an engaging environment to compel students to be physically active for at least 60 minutes every day—both in school and at home.  We partnered once again with Stretch-n-Grow North, Inc., who visited schools throughout the four-week program to lead the students through a variety of fitness activities that incorporate all of the fundamentals of safe and healthy exercise including warm-up, endurance, floor exercise, stretching and cool-down.  Stretch-n-Grow is a comprehensive youth fitness and health education program that makes it fun for kids to get fit and make healthy eating choices.

The AHA recommends that children get at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day.  Increased physical activity can lead to longer life expectancies and decreased risk of cardiovascular disease.  Students will be asked to keep track of their daily activity, and the most "active" school at the end of the Challenge will receive a visit by a Bears player to their school!

For more information about the NFL’s PLAY 60 movement, please visit www.NFLRUSH.com, and for more information about Stretch-n-Grow, please visit www.stretchngrownorth.com.

"Bear Hugs" was created to lift the spirits of sick children in hospitals throughout Chicagoland with the help of Bears mascot "Staley." Through "Bear Hugs," Staley visits various children's hospitals each month. He delivers teddy bears, spends time with young patients and spreads his cheer throughout the medical facilities.

Staley has visited the following children's hospitals as part of the program: Advocate Hope Children's Hospital, Children's Memorial Hospital, La Rabida Children's Hospital, Ronald McDonald Children's Hospital, Lutheran General Children's Hospital, Shriners Hospital for Children, Rush University and Medical Center, and University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital.

The Chicago Bears, Sportservice, and MillerCoors encourage fans to sign up to be Designated Drivers. If you are 21 years of age or older, pledge not to drink alcohol beverages at a Bears game, and will provide responsible transportation for all members of your group, please stop by a Fan Services booth to receive a Designated Driver wrist band and coupon for a complimentary soft drink.

Participants will be asked to sign a pledge card and show identification to verify their age.

Bears season ticket holders unable to attend a Bears home game may donate tickets to Special Olympics Illinois through our Bears Share ticket donation program. This program gives Special Olympics athletes and volunteers the opportunity to experience a game.

The season ticket holder receives a tax deduction for the donation of the tickets. Tickets should be received at the following address no later than the Wednesday prior to the scheduled game: Special Olympics Illinois, c/o Bears Share Ticket Donation, 800 Roosevelt Road; Building B, Suite 220, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137-5860.

The Chicago Bears and Jewel-Osco would like to thank all of our fans who supported the 23rd Annual Chicago Bears/Jewel-Osco "Coat Drive."  Because of your generosity, over 26,300 coats were collected that will benefit The Salvation Army and public schools throughout Chicagoland!

Fans could drop off new or gently used coats at all Jewel-Osco stores throughout the Chicago area between September 12, 2011 and December 4, 2011.  

Thanks to our fans, Wm. Meyers Movers and The Salvation Army for making this "Coat Drive" our most successful yet, and please check back to ChicagoBears.com for information about the 24th Annual Chicago Bears/Jewel-Osco "Coat Drive."

The Chicago Bears annually support the NFL/United Way "Hometown Huddle" volunteerism program, which is an NFL-wide day of service that provides NFL players from each team the opportunity to participate in a variety of community-service activities.

On October 18, the 2011 Bears rookie class announced the construction of a new Chicago Bears Fitness Zone at Clearview Elementary School in Waukegan.  The new playground features swings, parellel bars, balance beams and more, and is available to over 700 Clearview students and the surrounding community.  The players also led students through a variety of fitness-based activites.  

The Chicago Bears Fitness Zone project began with a $20,000 grant from the Chicago Bears and NFL Charities to United Way of Lake County.  Bears Care, the charitable beneficiary of the Chicago Bears, provided a matching $20,000 grant for the project.

The NFL/United Way partnership connects NFL PLAY 60 with the United Way's goal of 1.9 million more healthy young people by 2018.  Designed to tackle childhood obesity, NFL PLAY 60 bring's together the NFL's long-standing commitment to health and fitness with partner organizations like United Way. 

"Paws for a Cause" gives members of the Chicago Bears organization the opportunity to join together and support worthwhile community organizations through hands-on volunteerism.  Front office staff, executives and coaches participate in two large-scale activities that benefit charities throughout the Chicago area.  

On Wednesday, October 26, Over 25 Bears staff members volunteered at Bernie's Book Bank in Lake Forest, IL.  The staffers helped sort and package thousands of children's books that were received through book collections.  The books are distributed to large populations of deserving children through identified schools and social service organizations.

Bernie's Book Bank collects, processes and distributes new or gently used books to at-risk children in Chicago and the suburbs.  Their mission is to increase the book ownership of these children, thereby increasing their chances to succeed in school and life.  By 2013, Bernie's Book Bank will be distributing 1 million books per year in the Chicago area alone.  For more information, please visit www.berniesbookbank.org.   

Each year, the Bears Rookie Class participates as a group in four hands-on volunteer activities as part of the Bears "Rookie Rally" program. This program was created by the Bears Community Relations department to involve the team's first-year players, as a group, in charitable activities throughout the season. The "Rookie Rally" program helps the rookies learn more about their new community, serve several worthwhile charitable organizations in the area, and bond together through volunteerism.

Past "Rookie Rally" events have included coaching kids at the Chicago Bears Youth Football Camps, leading kids through fitness activities as part of the Bears/United Way Hometown Huddle, visiting with families and the Bears/United annual Holiday Party, and much more.

In the wake of recent tragedies both domestically and abroad, the National Football League and the American Red Cross have teamed up to promote recovery and healing in affected regions.  Click here to find out more information and how you can help make a difference.