The phrase "mother knows best" is ubiquitous for a reason. For Bears defensive tackle Chris Williams and offensive lineman Theo Benedet, it rings true because of their mothers' influences on learning the power of community service at a young age.

Williams — a veteran who entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2020 — holds special memories of volunteering at soup kitchens with his mother and hyping people up at her company's breast cancer awareness runs.

For Benedet — a second-year pro from British Columbia — his favorite activity to to volunteer at with his mom as a kid was beach cleanups in Vancouver. He also enjoyed coaching sports like soccer and floor hockey with Special Olympics British Columbia.

"To my mom it was the idea of, I was fortunate to have a good childhood growing up and have privileges that not everybody gets," Benedet said. "So it was important to acknowledge that and try to find ways to help those that may not have that."

Being introduced to volunteer work and the impact of giving back by the women that raised them made it easy for Williams and Benedet to take their mothers' guidance and run with it, even into adulthood. Now, the pair are some of the most frequent attendees at Bears community events throughout Chicagoland.

"My mom used to tell me – there was one point in her life where she was working on personal growth – and she read a book that told her giving back and volunteering just helps you put yourself in the correct mood and correct space to keep growing as a person," Williams said.

"When you do things like this, no matter if you're having a good day or a bad day, just being able to come out and put a smile on someone's face, sometimes just by showing up, it puts you in an even-keeled place for you to keep going and approaching life with gratitude."

Each Tuesday during the NFL season, the Bears facilitate a variety of community events that range from hospital or school visits to youth empowerment or youth football programs to virtual reading visits. Players – who have an off day on Tuesdays – can volunteer to support those events.

To kick off the first "Community Tuesday" this season, Williams and Benedet were among a handful of players who chose to spend their day off in the community. The pair of linemen attended the annual Conway Park Autumn Classic — a 5K-type race hosted by the Conway Park Owner's Association — in the office park where Halas Hall is located.

"It's just really as simple as we get so much support and love from the city of Chicago and the community of Bears fans," Benedet said. "So just trying to find ways to give back. If I can come out once a month or more and give a little back in that sense, it seems like a no-brainer to me."

Williams and Benedet attended the 5K alongside Staley Da Bear and Bears Care — the organization's charitable arm — which has soft launched their Real Bears Fans Wear Pink campaign at the 5K for the past 10-plus years as a way to show support to their Lake Forest neighbors.

Since 2008, the annual Real Bears Fans Wear Pink campaign has raised funds to benefit programs providing care, assistant and support to breast cancer patients and their families. The 18th anniversary of the campaign will officially launch later this week in partnership with Advocate Health Care, with t-shirts available to purchase at ChicagoBears.com and at Soldier Field.

As stand-in ambassadors of the campaign, Williams and Benedet took their jobs seriously. They helped sell more than 100 t-shirts, in addition to making donations of their own, making Tuesday one of the best-ever sales performances at the 5K.

Events like the 5K serve as a reminder of the impact Bears players and the organization can have on the Chicagoland community. That influence is something Benedet quickly learned last year while participating in a variety of community events as a rookie.

"I think that it's a very closely knit city," Benedet said. "There's a lot of civic pride, which obviously we feel as a team that represents the city. I felt like there was a lot of opportunity for us to affect change."

While providing support to the community is something that comes natural to players like Williams and Benedet, certain events also provide them with unique experiences and perspectives that they wouldn't otherwise receive.

For Williams, they have opened his eyes to the world of non-profit organizations and deepened his personal desire to create his own foundation one day. Starting his own foundation is something Williams aims to do while he's still playing and once he is settled in with a team and community.

Volunteering through the Bears has expanded Williams' knowledge of best practices when hosting events or creating campaigns, set him up to find avenues of giving back he is passionate about and created a network of community support.

"I appreciate the undying support that all the fans show every time I meet new people," Williams shared. "The diversity the community group here has in the events you can do has brought me out of my comfort zone. Interacting more with people and kids and being the center of attention to try to uplift them, it's pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped me grow."