Kevin Warren obtained the cellphone name in the course of the night time whereas in his resort room on the Minnesota Vikings’ journey to Green Bay in October 2014.
The Chicago Bears President and CEO, then with the Vikings, knew what the information could be. His older sister Carolyn Elaine Warren-Knox had died of mind most cancers. Warren’s subsequent journeys to Green Bay all the time have been emotional with the reminiscence of a lady 16 years his senior who was like a second mom to him.
That’s a part of the explanation Warren and his spouse, Greta, stood on the 18th flooring at Lurie Children’s Hospital on Friday in the course of a busy Week 18 for the Bears. Warren has lots to guage because the Bears look towards the long run, with selections about their teaching employees, quarterback and stadium looming.
But with the Bears set to go to Green Bay to play the Packers within the season finale Sunday, Warren wished to announce their newest initiative to honor his sister’s want for them to assist most cancers sufferers. At a information convention, the Kevin and Greta Warren Family Foundation pledged to donate $1 million to Lurie Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.
The present, Lurie representatives mentioned, will go towards serving to to ease monetary burdens, reminiscent of housing payments and transportation prices, for sufferers and their households, permitting them to concentrate on their remedies.
Warren mentioned his sister instructed him and Greta about youngsters who took two or three buses to most cancers remedies in Arizona. She challenged them: “Make the world easier for them.” That mission dovetailed with one other little bit of knowledge Warren usually heard from his mom when he was a toddler: “You never see a U-Haul attached to a hearse.”
“I never knew what that meant,” Warren mentioned. “What she was saying was give, give, after which whenever you suppose you’ve given sufficient, give extra. Because on the finish of the day, you possibly can’t take this with you.
“Yes, I’m here to lead us to multiple Super Bowls. And yes, I’m here to build a new stadium. And yes, I’m here to build a culture and become the most fortified and strong franchise in the world. But one of the reasons why I work every single day and I’ll work to the very end is to be in the position for our family to create resources to give.”
The information convention Friday centered fully on the Warrens’ donation, however afterward, Warren did reply a few soccer questions earlier than a Bears consultant introduced he could be made obtainable for the remainder of the inquiries subsequent week.
The first query was whether or not the Bears had determined to convey again coach Matt Eberflus in 2024.
“As we said all along, we just continuously will stay focused on finishing the season strong, (then) take a big-picture, methodical look at everything,” Warren mentioned. “I’m looking forward to heading to Green Bay tomorrow (Saturday) and hopefully the team can keep playing well.”
In a follow-up query, Warren was requested whether or not he likes the place the staff is at. The Bears are 7-9 however have gained 5 of their final seven video games as they put together to face the Packers, who can earn a playoff berth with a win.
“I’m very pleased with the energy of our team,” Warren mentioned. “It’s not only on game day. It’s around the practices, around Halas Hall. Just the energy, you all see it in the locker room. Guys are playing hard. They’re competing. And so we’ll continually just build forward as a franchise. But I’m just really energized as a franchise where we are, with what we have going on with the stadium, what we have going on internally, just building our brand, and what we have going on with our football team.”
Warren additionally mentioned he hopes to have extra solutions within the subsequent few months because the staff considers its choices about whether or not and the place to construct a brand new stadium.
The Bears closed on the acquisition of the outdated Arlington International Racecourse website in February 2023, however the challenge has stalled as they attempt to negotiate property taxes. Warren mentioned he’s “pleased with the progress we’ve made” and believes the Bears are “right on target” to decide inside his first yr on the job.
Warren began his job with the Bears final spring from his place as Big Ten Commissioner. Before that, he labored for the Vikings, and he and Greta made the same donation in Minnesota to ascertain Carolyn’s Comforts, a youngsters’s most cancers emergency help fund at M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital.
Warren mentioned the fund gave out its 1,000th grant in November. Warren appears to be like up the beneficiaries of these grants if he’s ever feeling down.
“All I would do is open up my phone and read about the different families that we were able to assist with these grants,” Warren mentioned. “And you realize that most of us in this room are dealing with issues that are only issues and not problems.”
The Warrens contacted Lurie once they had been on the lookout for a hospital to assist. After they toured the downtown Chicago facility, Warren mentioned they it knew it was the place to pledge not solely their financial donations but in addition, they hope, their time.
“Whatever we can provide to soften the blow on any level, we’re in,” Greta Warren mentioned.
Dr. Robert Liem, head of hematology, oncology, neuro oncology and stem cell transplantation, mentioned the donation helps the hospital’s mission to offer “family-centered care.”
“The gift will empower families to focus on what matters most, and that is their child’s care and well-being,” Liem mentioned. “Families and caregivers are often overwhelmed with navigating the treatment journey. This gift will help to lessen and reduce the day-to-day financial burdens many of our patients and our families face.”
Warren additionally feels a reference to the trigger due to the months he spent within the hospital as an 11-year-old after a severe bicycle accident. He grew emotional Friday when thanking the Lurie hospital employees.
“I’m just grateful for the people who have chosen this field to come in and help children,” Warren mentioned. “I still think about many of the nurses and doctors who saved my life and the power of an encouraging word and what that means.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com