Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and receiver Allen Robinson were among those Chicago athletes that attended former Bear Sam Acho’s special event Thursday at the By the Hand Club for Kids on Chicago’s West Side.
Among the other athletes in attendance were Cubs Jason Heyward and Jason Kipnis, Blackhawks Jonathan Toews and Malcolm Subban and Bulls Ryan Arcidiacono and Max Strus.
According to ChicagoBears.com, these athletes met with local youth and leaders from the By the Hand Club, BUILD and the Westside Health Authority, and with Chicago police officers, which included “healing circles.”
“We got together and we just listened,” Acho said, via ChicagoBears.com. “We listened to the people who are hurting. We sat and stood in circles with some kids from the West Side of Chicago, some police officers from the West Side of Chicago and pro athletes as well, and just allowed each other to have an open dialogue about what’s been going on, how do we feel about the situation and where can we go from here.”
Acho hosted this event as a way for those that were hurting to be heard and encouraged following the brutal and senseless murder of George Floyd.
“One thing that came from me was thinking about those kids in the city who are affected by this,” Acho said. “I was like, ‘What they need is just some encouragement. They need somebody to listen to them and love on them,’ so that’s what we did.
“I gathered a couple guys from each team. It was like Noah’s Ark, two-by-two. We listened to the kids and what they’re going through and listened to their heart, talked to some police officers as well and just listened and learned, and tried to find out what we could do to help change the city.”
