Five of the classic jerseys from last Sunday's game against Minnesota and one autographed classic helmet are available via auction through the free Chicago Bears Official App brought to you by Verizon with all proceeds going to two local charities chosen by the team's social justice committee.
In the lead up to Sunday's game, the committee's five members--tight end Trey Burton, defensive tackle Akiem Hicks, linebacker Danny Trevathan and quarterbacks Mitchell Trubisky and Chase Daniel--spoke about the complicated history of the classic jerseys.
The auction is open now and will begin closing on Thursday, October 3, at 3 p.m. CT. Included in the auction are game-worn jerseys from Burton, Daniel, Trevathan and Trubisky and a game-issued Hicks jersey; the winning bidder will have the option for the jersey to be signed by that player. All jerseys will be authenticated by Authenticators, Inc. Additionally, all five players from the committee signed a classic helmet, which will be available through the auction.
Bears Care, the team's charitable arm, will also match up to $20,000 raised. Proceeds will be split equally between Saga Education and My Block, My Hood, My City. Both organizations were also part of the players' 2018 social justice initiative.
Fans with the Chicago Bears Official App can access the auction feature by tapping on "More" followed by Bears Care Auction. There will be a one-time registration process (users should not need to log into the auction again unless they've actively logged out). Auction items will be added periodically throughout the year; users are encouraged to turn on push notifications via their app settings so they are notified when new items are available. The Chicago Bears Official App is available for Android and iOS devices. To download, search for the "Chicago Bears" app in Google Play or the Apple App Store.
SAGA Education is a non-profit organization operating in Chicago and New York. SAGA provides in-school, one-on-one tutoring for students at risk of dropping out of high school. The organization partners with 20 schools in the Chicago area. In three randomized control trials by the University of Chicago Urban Labs, the SAGA approach was found to be one of the most effective interventions to be rigorously studied. For more information, please visit https://www.sagaeducation.org/.
My Block, My Hood, My City is a non-profit focused on providing underprivileged youth with an awareness of the world and opportunities beyond their neighborhood. Their Explorer's program takes students from four Chicago neighborhoods--Englewood, North Lawndale, South Shore and Edgewater--on field trips to explore cultural and educational sites throughout the city. For more information, please visithttps://www.formyblock.org/.
