When Caleb Williams introduced his Caleb Cares non-profit to Chicago at an event on the city's South Side in July — less than three months after being drafted by the Bears — he felt inspired.

Surrounded by more than 600 youth from 12 Chicago-area schools, Williams knew he wanted to do something special for the students who helped welcome him to a new city.

Before his rookie year kicked off, Williams and Caleb Cares worked with the Bears' Home Team Hand-Off ticket donation program to purchase more than 600 tickets across all nine home games — one of the top contributions in the program's history. The gesture will allow every student from the July event to attend one Bears home game this season with all expenses paid.

"For me personally, it's being able to provide opportunities," Williams told ChicagoBears.com. "I learned this at USC — there were many kids that lived around USC that had never been to a USC game, had never been on campus, so it's being able to provide that moment for them.

"Maybe some kids have been to Soldier Field, maybe some haven't, maybe some aren't even Bears fans, maybe some are, but just being able to provide an experience like that, I thought would be huge for them. I believe it's turned out pretty well so far and I think everyone has enjoyed it."

To Caleb Cares director Patsy Mangas, "pretty well" is an understatement.

Mangas — who met Williams when he attended Gonzaga High School in Washington, D.C. — has been at the first two Bears home games with the students and chaperones. She has witnessed the kids light up as they enter Soldier Field, put on their matching No. 18 t-shirts and find their seats to watch Williams run out of the tunnel.

"For those kids having never been there, it was just the event of a lifetime," Mangas said. "They were really excited. They went in really quiet and came out just beaming."

Williams plans to run by the sections the students are in before kickoff at one of the next home games to show his gratitude for their support.

After each of the Bears' first two home contests, Williams checked out pictures and videos of the students. He was touched by the energy and joy he saw.

"Watching some of the videos, hearing from some of the people who have helped me with that, it's been great," Williams said. "Some of the videos I've watched, they're cheering as if they've been Bears fans for the past 50 years. It's been really cool."

While the gameday experience is meant to be an exciting, new opportunity for the students, it also serves the main goal of Caleb Cares.

Williams first established the non-profit while he was a student at the University of Oklahoma with the intention of empowering kids, shining a spotlight on mental health and eliminating bullying.

"Part of what we want to do is we want to broaden the lens through which kids see the world," Mangas said. "When you do that, their world becomes bigger. It's also letting them know that this was Caleb's dream. This is what he dreamed of and worked hard for it. To see him out there — not that they have to be an NFL player but whatever they want to do — they know he worked hard for his dream and they can too."

Sharing that dream with some of Chicago's youth is important to Williams, even as he navigates the whirlwind nature of his rookie season.

Giving those students the opportunity to be a part of such a monumental time in not only his career, but in the Bears' history, is a privilege Williams has embraced.

"The biggest thing is being able to connect to people and reach them," Williams said. "Sometimes that's allowing situations like this, maybe that's showing up in person to their schools or Boys and Girls Clubs, being able to provide time and experiences with your social following on social media.

"Just overall using your platform to help others is important and being able to do this for the kids, I think it means a lot for them. I think it also helps them be able to strive for something bigger."