LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Tommie Harris desperately wants to lead the Bears to a Super Bowl victory, but that’s not the only personal crusade the defensive tackle is passionate about.

After watching television news stories about the fifth and sixth Chicago Public School students to be killed by gun violence already this school year, Harris told reporters that he was moved to help find a solution.

Tommie Harris joined the Bears in 2004 as the 14th overall pick in the NFL draft.

“I have a love for children and that really hurt me to see,” Harris said. “It’s sad to know that a young person doesn’t get a chance to live his life out. I feel if more people can voice their opinions or get stuff done, then a change will come.”

Harris is encouraging those who live in neighborhoods that are plagued by gun violence to email his foundation at TommieHarris.com to offer their input about how he can help. It's an issue that he often discusses with teammates, especially defensive lineman Israel Idonije.

“It does affect the way we think or the way we see things,” Harris said. “We do go home and see that. I don’t want people to think that we just play football. We have emotions, too, and this is something that’s been bothering me.”

Harris was particularly affected by the killing of Arthur Jones, a 10-year-old who was shot Oct. 17 allegedly during a gang fight in the Englewood neighborhood. Another boy, Samuel Benavente, was killed last Sunday while riding his bike in the West Lawn neighborhood.

“I’m willing to help,” Harris said. “I just want others to be able to voice their opinions. Write my web site. It’s free. Everything is free. I believe that we can get this rolling and more people can help and continue to help and we can see a change in the community.”

Harris said that Idonije recently had visited an indoor skating rink that would soon close and the two have discussed rebuilding the facility or funding a youth center on the site.

“There are different ideas and that’s why I want [input from] the people in the area, so we won’t feel like we’re just coming in there and [implementing] our ideas and going over their heads,” Harris said. “I want them to tell me what they feel would help or what they feel we can do. 

“We do have the money, and I know there are sponsors out there. People want to help. I don’t think anybody enjoys seeing little kids not being able to live out their whole lives. There are different things I feel like we can do to get this done.”

Harris feels that it’s important to let the kids know what opportunities exist for them beyond their neighborhoods.

“You have to show these people that there is a way out,” he said. “I’ve been that kid. I didn’t know that there was more beyond Killeen, Texas, until I got a change to go out and see, ‘OK, I can do this, I can do these different things.’ If you show one person that lives in the area, ‘OK, I can change,’ he goes back and it’s a [snowball] effect.

“There are kids there that want a way out or they want to learn or they want the ability, but you have to show them.

“There’s more to what is going on over there on the South Side. I go over there. It’s a great place, but there needs to be some type of example. Some people have to step up and show that there is a way out.”

Harris also believes that actions speak louder than words, especially when it comes to trying to change the mind frame of teenagers who belong to gangs.

“You just can’t go in there and tell them, ‘This is wrong for you and you can’t be hanging out with these guys,’” he said. “[They would say], ‘If I can’t hang out with these guys, what do I do? Who do I hang out with?’ So you might have Big Brother programs. You might have the skating rink turn into a youth center. You might do different things like that.”

Harris realizes that it’s a difficult challenge, but not one that is an impossible undertaking.

“There are eight million people [in the Chicago area],” he said. “There are more than enough people that can come together and fix this or can help. Or the men in the neighborhoods or people that can step up and come out of their comfort zones and come help some of these people.”