The Bears and Bears Care will celebrate the NFL's Inspire Change initiative during Sunday's game against the Giants to highlight and advance the club's year-long collective commitment to social justice. This marks the first time the NFL will have league-wide in-game and in-broadcast integration during the regular season.
Social Justice Commitment
Alongside the players, the Bears and Bears Care have long supported local non-profits that are inspiring positive change in local communities. In addition to providing grants and in-kind support, the team has regularly hosted community groups at Halas Hall for practice and training camp and provided tickets to games through the Home Team Hand-Off and Bears Share programs. Organizations who have attended practices or games recently include Boys & Girls Clubs, The Dovetail Project, Enlace Chicago, Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation, READI Chicago, Target Area and more. For further information about the Bears' commitment to social justice, please visit ChicagoBears.com/SocialJustice.
Player & Community Videos
Videos highlighting what Inspire Change means to players, including Allen Robinson II, Roquan Smith, Eddie Jackson and Jimmy Graham, have been shared on the team's digital and social media platforms, and will also be shared in-game on the videoboards at Soldier Field. Additionally, the @BearsOutreach Twitter account will share videos from community partners about what Inspire Change means to them and their relationship with the Bears and Bears Care.
In-Game Activation
The Bears will highlight the Inspire Change initiative throughout Sunday's game, including end zone stencils with social justice messaging "It Takes All of Us" and "Advance Social Justice," goalpost wraps and banners, sideline branding, helmet stickers and Inspire Change branded towels for players. Sunday's honorary captain will be Cortez from the Boys & Girls Club of Chicago. Bears Care will also host guests from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago, Black Village Foundation, Chicago Furniture Bank, DuSable Museum of African American History, Firehouse Community Arts Center of Chicago, Leo Catholic High School, Midtown Educational Foundation, Social Change, Target Area and The Dovetail Project. Fans are encouraged to check out the Mighty Matchup on the concourse or scan the scoreboard QR codes to learn more about some of the programs supported by the Bears and Bears Care. Graphics will also be shown on the scoreboard as well as ribbon panels highlighting local non-profits.
Leo Catholic High School Boys Choir Halftime Performance
The Leo Catholic High School boys choir will perform at halftime on the field. Opened in 1926, Leo is an all-male school with 200 students in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood on the city's South Side. Bears Care has partnered with Leo since 2016 through the Big Shoulders Fund, whose mission is to support schools in need that provide quality, values-based education for Chicago's children.
Inspire Change Hats
The NFL worked with New Era and the Players Coalition to offer an Inspire Change knit hat that can be worn during Weeks 17 and 18 by players, coaches and team personnel. The hat will feature social justice inspired messaging "Justice, Opportunity, Equity, Freedom" and will also be sold at the Soldier Field Pro Shop, NewEraCap.com, NFLShop.com and Fanatics, with 100 percent of the league's proceeds being donated to Inspire Change grant recipients. For more information about Inspire Change, please visit NFL.com/causes/inspire-change.
