In honor of their 100th season, the Bears will donate a total of $1 million, divided into increments of $100,000 to 10 different charities nominated by fans.
All charities located within the Bears' market will be eligible to benefit from the Community All-Pros program. Applications can be submitted online at chicagobears.com/communityallpros from now through May 31.
"Part of the impetus for the Community All-Pros program is we didn't want to just look back on the last 100 years, we wanted to look forward," said Bears chairman George H. McCaskey. "We're looking forward to it. We want the fans to be involved in the decision-making process and in the nomination process itself."
All 10 charities will be nominated by fans across Illinois and the defined Bears home market. Nine charities will be selected by a Bears' internal committee and announced in mid-July. The 10th charity will be narrowed down to three choices by the internal committee before it is opened to fan voting in October; the final charity will be announced the week prior to the last 2019 regular-season home game.
Each charity will be honored at a Bears' 2019 home game. Fans are encouraged to share this information with charities they are invested in.
"We're really excited about it," McCaskey said. "We think it's a great way to kick off the second century of the Chicago Bears."
The Bears are also commemorating their 100th season by hosting the Bears100 Celebration June 7-9 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont.
This once-in-a-lifetime event will be the largest gathering of Bears ever. The 2019 team and coaching staff, along with Bears Hall of Famers and alumni, are scheduled to attend.
Opening Ceremonies on Friday evening will cover 100 years of Bears football and the unveiling of the team's new classic jersey. Saturday and Sunday will be highlighted by free autograph sessions and photo opportunities, panels, Bears Care Closeout and merchandise sales, interactive games, kids activities, a walk-though Bears history zone and more.
Bears100 Celebration Weekend is brought to you by Keurig Dr Pepper, Hyundai and Undeniably Dairy. Tickets are available at chicagobears.com/celebrationweekend. Payments can be made via credit card (the Chicago Bears prefer Visa).
