'I'm just trying to give back': Rome Odunze finding inspiration through Chicagoland community efforts
Story by Gabby Hajduk

During the offseason, receiver Rome Odunze recognized that he wanted to be more involved in the Chicagoland community — a place that had embraced him since Apr. 25, 2024, when the Bears drafted him No. 9 overall.

After spending his rookie year focusing on the transition from college to the NFL, while dipping his toes into community work when possible, Odunze set his sights on expanding his responsibilities off the field in his sophomore season. He spoke to his team over the summer and asked them to set up a variety of community visits throughout the year.

"All the people out here inspire me to be better on and off the field," Odunze shared. "So Chicago has given me a lot more than I've given them.

"I'm just trying to give back."

Over the past month, Odunze has made good on that intention — making trips to a career fair on the south side of the city, a Monsters Flag Football clinic in the northern suburb of Round Lake and a soup kitchen in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood.

Visiting different locations across Chicagoland has been a critical factor in allowing Odunze to wrap his arms around the entire community.

"It's important to show up anywhere I can, just trying to spread it out to provide the most impact," Odunze said at the career fair on the south side. "It's about going to them, meeting them where they're at. I think that's an important task for me, and it also gives me insight too, being able to come down here, see this community, these people and feel the love here, feel the energy here and go from community to community. I'm super grateful for that."

The career fair, located in the Englewood neighborhood, was hosted by Urban Male Network — a program that empowers young men of color through mentorship, personal growth and professional development, providing services to more than 250 students from the city's west side to the south suburbs.

On Tuesday, two days after the Bears' 47-42 victory in Cincinnati, Odunze spoke to 65 students from three high schools and one elementary school about a variety of topics, including what his career as a professional athlete entails, how he navigated high school and college as a student-athlete and how he stays inspired.

"What originally inspired me to play was Devin Hester," Odunze told the students. "He's a local legend around here. He's the greatest returner of all time, so I was watching his highlight tapes on YouTube and I was like, 'man I want to be like him when I grow up.' So that was really how I started, but your inspiration changes.

"Now I do it for my family, for y'all, hopefully to inspire y'all and just to give an example to the next generation about how to go out there and handle your business and have fun playing sports because sports brought a lot to me."

For the athletes in the room, Odunze's advice and authentic responses were motivating. Jordan, the sophomore quarterback at Sarah E. Good STEM Academy — one of the high schools present — had an additional conversation about his football journey with Odunze after the panel.

"Him being here just opens up opportunities, open doors for us to reach out to people that's at the higher level," Jordan shared. "So now I can know what I need to do to even get myself to that level. Him basically saying to get my name out there, to get my tape out there, post on social, really, to just help myself get out there more."

Even those without dreams of being a professional athlete could resonate with the life lessons Odunze shared.

"I truly believe that exposure brings a new level of expectation," Urban Male Network CEO Marlon Haywood said. "So them being having an opportunity to meet Rome, him coming actually into the community that many of them live in, I think gives them hope to say, 'Oh, wow, you know, this person came to speak to me, talking about his experiences.' He's letting them know that this is something they can do because they work hard. He talked about, it's not just good to be a great athlete, but you also have to be a great student as well. So, it was amazing. They were excited. The energy was there, the love.

"It really makes me feel good because I grew up in Englewood. And this is my vision of bringing life to a corner that had been vacant, that had been abandoned. And to see this, it's just something that just brings joy."

Along with the panel, Odunze took a tour of the brand new Urban Male Network facility, which transformed from a previously abandoned two-story building to a beautiful space with a podcast area, game room, lounge spots and an outdoor basketball court, obviously stopping there to shoot some hoops with the students.

Odunze believes an environment like that is "invaluable when you talk about the impact it has on this community," and shows real investment in the youth. While it was the first time Odunze had spent time in the neighborhood and with the Urban Male Network program, he was inspired by their work and made sure to share that sentiment with the entire group of students and staff.

"Coming out here and seeing y'all, it just gives me energy," Odunze said. "It makes me feel happy to do what I'm doing, makes me feel passionate about it. For y'all to be asking these questions, being engaged, that gives me hope for y'all and for the things that y'all are doing to get right and the passionate you've got toward video games or basketball or football or all these different things.

"Just to see y'all strive toward your goals makes me want to strive toward mine. So it's definitely my first time, but it won't be my last, that's for sure."

A week prior, Odunze spent his off day at John T. Magee Middle School in Round Lake to help host a Monsters Flag Football clinic — a program brought to you by Invisalign, that was launched by the Bears in 2024 designed for boys and girls ages 11-17 to learn and develop flag football skills.

Odunze demonstrated various drills for the kids, competed alongside them and took extra time to take pictures and sign autographs for students and teachers.

Having played sports since he was young, but not focusing on football until high school, Odunze understands the value of kids finding joy in sports and learning both critical life skills and healthy habits. He describes having been able to play football throughout his life as a "blessing," and he hopes sharing his passion for the game with the group of middle schoolers will positively impact their lives.

"It was a good experience to be able to go out there and just see them run around and enjoy the sport," Odunze said. "Obviously, the sport means a lot to me. I like how much flag football is progressing, so I'm super glad I got to go out there with the kids. I feel like they had a great time, so I'm looking forward to doing more of that for sure."

Bears director of football development Gustavo Silva, who oversees the Monsters Flag program, saw a different level of energy in the students, courtesy of Odunze.

"Having Rome attend the Monsters Flag clinic was a great surprise and treat for the kids," Silva said. "They were so excited and grateful that a player of Rome's caliber would spend his day off with them. When someone of his stature shares his enthusiasm, experience and wisdom, it makes a huge impact."

Nearly a month ago, Odunze experienced what he described as "a day [he'll] never forget," on the city's north side at A Just Harvest ­— a longstanding organization in Rogers Park that helps fight poverty and hunger by providing meals daily while cultivating community and economic development.

For a few hours that day, Odunze became engulfed in the community that A Just Harvest has built and is continuing to expand. Initially appearing to just help serve meals to community members, Odunze ended up touring the organization's garden and greenhouse, their test kitchen for those who want to cultivate their cooking skills as well as their soon-to-be café space across the street.

Experiencing all that A Just Harvest offers its community gave Odunze a reminder of his own roots and family history.

"Not being too far from removed from a generation of immigrants who moved to America, who struggled — my grandfather and people before him who were farmers, and weren't making a lot of money — I know the struggle a little bit, and I can understand it and empathize with that," Odunze said.

"So for me, being in a city like Chicago where the help is needed, the encouragement, the inspiration, whatever it is they get from the experience of me coming out and doing these things — whether it's physical labor or emotional, spiritual — feels like something I need to take part in, just as my purpose to be on this Earth. It's not just for football, but to enlighten others and hopefully bring others along through God's glory."

As Odunze checked out the different spaces, he met and spoke to people walking by who recognized him. Some asked for pictures, put him on the phone with their kids, younger brothers and nephews or just struck up a conversation.

One man told Odunze about his younger cousin who plays receiver and running back in high school. He gathered advice from Odunze, and let him know he's an inspiration to kids all around Chicagoland. Before walking away, he told Odunze people like him are "what Chicago needs" and to continuing "making us proud" on the field.

Quick interactions like those are not just meaningful for fans or community members, who otherwise may not have the chance to spend time with a Bears player, but also make a larger impact in Odunze's life than they realize.

Some days, it's still difficult for Odunze to grasp the admiration he receives from a community that he is so new to. But he wants the Chicagoland community to know that adoration is mutual.

"It's a blessing to be able to do put a smile on someone's face," Odunze said. "I mean, it's incredible. To be able to have these opportunities, just based off what I do for a profession, is really cool. But at the end of the day, that's the bare minimum of what I could do is put a smile on somebody's face. To actually be out in the community, do some of the physical stuff, get to meet everybody, and just be some of that inspiration, is really special."