Shameka Leach has been a Chicago Bears fan since she was slightly lady watching video games along with her father and brothers, nevertheless it’s the workforce’s outreach to others that has cemented the workforce in her coronary heart.
“As a team, I love the Bears for the community service part of it. I’m a really big community service activist,” the Markham resident shared.
“What I love about them is they continuously — this is the part that I see and participate in — they do stuff for their community and across the state. That’s the part I love where they give back. … It’s not just the game for me. Why I love them is for the game and community service. A lot of people don’t get to see what the actual players or the organization are doing.”
Leach, who volunteers loads of time herself each with the workforce and off the sphere, was shocked at a sport when the Bears performed the Las Vegas Raiders by being named the Bears’ nominee for 2023 NFL Fan of the Year.
“I’m the same person inside the game and outside the game. I love the city. I love my team. I will do anything for my team with regards to community service and the love of the game,” she stated. “I’m not just a fan whether they win or lose. I’m a fan 100.”
The honor was a complete shock for Leach, who thought she was on the sport to visitor referee a halftime flag soccer sport between Chicago’s Staley Da Bear and Las Vegas’ Raider Rusher.
“It definitely was a complete shock,” she stated. “When they granted me the award, I was shocked, humbled and confused!”
The award “aims to honor and celebrate exceptional fans who inspire others through their passion for football,” in keeping with a information launch from the Bears. “Each NFL club has the opportunity to nominate a local fan to potentially become the ultimate 2023 NFL Fan of the Year during Super Bowl week.” This is the fourth 12 months for the award.
The Bears nominated Leach due to her energetic help and volunteer efforts previously six years at Bears Huddle occasions and month-to-month group service volunteer actions, together with for the Pro Football Retired Players Association in Chicago, the place she coordinates volunteers for a golf outing.
She additionally has attended coaching camp and took part in Bears watch events. “It’s evident that Shameka is not only a passionate Bears fan but also a dedicated advocate for football, actively seeking to create opportunities within her community,” the discharge famous.
One of these group alternatives is a free soccer camp for youths she runs with former Philadelphia Eagles broad receiver James Loving, a 1984 graduate of Shepard High School. Leach and Loving have been neighbors at one time, though Loving now lives in Colorado.
Loving had been doing a free one-day soccer camp generally known as Loving Tomorrow’s Kids for 2 years earlier than becoming a member of forces with Leach. When Loving’s fiancee, Kristine Marwitz, died from most cancers in 2020, he reached out to Leach and advised her he wanted assist. Leach advised him to present her all the pieces and she or he’d do it if he acquired former soccer gamers to point out up.
More than 100 children from Robbins confirmed up for the primary camp, together with three ladies. “From then, the camp is so smooth and people have been wanting to come and help and be in it like she does,” Loving stated. “She went to bat for all the kids, the coaches. She went over and beyond.”
Leach advised Loving he’d simply be accountable for the day of the camp in mid-July. “I come in two days before, and we run the camp. She took care of all the food, getting the donations of food, the teachers to play. Getting the coaches set up — 99% of the camp she ran,” Loving stated.
Leach admitted she wasn’t positive she wished to assist Loving at first, “but he said he believed we could do it.” She requested native companies to donate cash, meals and T-shirts for the children, and Crown Trophies in Indiana donated plaques and trophies.
Although the camp initially was only for gamers in Robbins, the place they grew up, that didn’t appear fairly truthful, so that they expanded their attain to all the Chicago space.
“I got players from the NFL. We have a brotherhood who want to come, but (the expenses) were coming out of my pocket to fly them in,” Loving stated. “So we (invited) four players. But then we had 10 or 15 players who wanted to come and said they’d pay for their own” flights and resort rooms.
The most up-to-date camp, proper earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic started, had 40 to 50 children making their manner via every coach’s station for about 20 minutes. “Everybody is welcome. If somebody has their pet there doing workouts, we’ll have them,” Loving joked.
He stated when Leach advised him concerning the award, he was not very shocked, particularly given her connections with many gamers. “When she loves something, she does it. I thought it should have come a couple of years before. She’s a die-hard Bears fan no matter what. Anything that (they ask) she’s there — no questions asked. She would never turn something down that would have something to do with kids.”
He added that he’s happy she acquired the consideration. “I’m really proud of her. I told her it’s well-deserved.”
Leach, who works for UPS as a income restoration supervisor, can be the model ambassador for Great Lakes Credit Union and a planning and zoning commissioner for the town of Markham. She stated the company places of work of the credit score union are in Bannockburn in northern Illinois. “Half the fans are Packers fans and half are Bears fans, so our game days are interesting.”
The 32 nominees are attending to know one another, together with via a bunch chat the NFL arrange, and are generally known as a “fanily.” She’s met the Fan of the Year nominated by the Green Bay Packers. “He said he would have to admit to having a friend who is a Bears fan,” Leach joked.
The award contains an all-expenses paid journey for 2 to the Super Bowl LVIII in Paradise, Nevada, together with two tickets to the sport and a VIP expertise. The general winner shall be named throughout Super Bowl weekend.
Right away, folks started jockeying to go together with Leach, together with the co-anchors of “Good Morning Chicago” who have been sharing her story. But in the long run an aunt earned the consideration.
“It was a process of elimination,” Leach shared. “My dad can’t fully walk. I only have one son (Michael Armwood Jr.) but he’s not 21, and my mother — she loves me and the sport but she’s not a sports person. My aunt is into football in general, 100%. She’s a Bears fan.”
Leach is honored to be the Bears’ nominee. “I’m just excited to be there, but if that win comes about, it will be great.”
To vote for Leach, go to nfl.com/FanOfTheYear by Feb. 7.
As a part of the Fan of the Year expertise, Leach will obtain a personalised, stitched jersey with No. 23 on it as a result of it’s 2023. “Every workforce has a fan of the 12 months, so we’ll all have on the identical quantity, 23″ she stated.
On sport days, Leach picks her outfit rigorously, at all times together with one in every of her three Bears hats, a particular purse, jacket, earrings, footwear and socks. “My whole game day is all Bear down,” she shared.
“I’m not as crazy as the people painting their face and their costumes. If you were going to walk into work, you’d know it was me,” she stated, including that one in every of her three bedrooms at house is “Bears ready,” as is one in every of her loos, the place “everything is personalized, including the toothbrush, towels, tissues, garbage pail and my pictures on the wall.”
Melinda Moore is a contract reporter for the Daily Southtown.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com