Calling all sneakerheads!
Bears Care, the team's charitable arm, is hosting its first-ever charitable sneaker auction starting Tuesday. Proceeds will benefit the causes Bears Care supports, including youth programs focused on education and youth athletics, women's cancer research and other initiatives serving under-resourced neighborhoods across Chicagoland. The digital auction take place in the Chicago Bears Official App brought to you by Verizon, with new pairs dropping each week through Sept. 12.
Not only do the 80-plus pairs of new or gently-used sneakers come from top brands like Nike, they also come courtesy of Bears receiver DJ Moore, who donated all of the shoes to Bears Care earlier this year.
"Bears Care directly supports breast cancer awareness, a cause I have always been passionate about and supported with My Cause My Cleats since my grandma battled breast cancer," Moore said. "I wanted to find a way this offseason to give to Bears Care, so my wife and I decided to donate a bunch of shoes we had as a way to help [Bears Care director] Marge [Hamm] and Bears Care raise money for a good cause."
When Moore first brought the shoes to Hamm, she knew how incredible of an opportunity it would be to launch the auction to, first and foremost, support the work Bears Care does, but also to connect with shoe enthusiasts both in Chicagoland and nationwide.
"We are incredibly grateful for the generous donation of shoes from DJ Moore and his wife," Hamm said. "In an effort to maximize the impact of this gift, we look forward to hosting the first-ever Bears Care sneaker auction."
"DJ's donation also allows us to reach a new audience of sneaker fans and connect in a different way with our current loyal and enthusiastic fanbase."
The Bears partnered with local streetwear boutique Succezz and its owner, LaVelle Sykes, to verify and catalog each pair of shoes. Sykes is a long term, respected presence in the sneaker community and graciously donated his expertise to support the auction.
To bid on the 80-plus pairs of shoes and receive updates on the auction, visit the Bears Care Auction page on the Chicago Bears Official App brought to you by Verizon.
