A Chicago pastor will soon take the trip of a lifetime to watch Super Bowl 58 in person, courtesy of the Chicago Bears.
Pastor Phil Jackson is the founder and CEO of the Firehouse Community Arts Center in North Lawndale.
"Our work is to interrupt the cycle of violence among the lives of youth and young adults in North Lawndale through the power of arts and faith," said Jackson, who has been working with young people for more than 30 years.
"Just humbled of [The Bears'] consideration of our partnership and work in that way. It’s just been a great journey," said Jackson.
The Chicago Bears have teamed up with Firehouse for several years to serve Thanksgiving meals on Chicago's West Side. In November, after meals were packed, served and delivered, Bears' players surprised Jackson with the tickets.
"I unpack this thing, I’m thinking it’s a picture of us doing stuff together. I unravel it, and I couldn’t believe it. It was surreal," Jackson said.
In addition to the meals, Firehouse also offers year-round, multi-disciplinary cultural arts programming, mentorship, leadership and workforce development.
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"In our workforce development arm, we feed over 800-1,000 people a week fully cooked lunches and dinner. This is where our connection came with the Bears," Jackson said.
Jackson will attend the big game with his wife, Kimberlie. The couple leaves for Las Vegas on Friday.
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"Just experiencing this whole thing on behalf of this entire organization and represent the neighborhood too. I’m going for all of Lawndale, going for everybody in North Lawndale to represent us there," said Jackson.
In a statement, the team said, "The Bears, provided with Super Bowl tickets by the league, distribute them to outstanding community leaders who made a great impact in their community."
The remainder of the statement is below:
"Pastor Phil Jackson was honored for the opportunity due to his dedication in creating a safe space for young people through year-round cultural arts programming, mentorship, and workforce development, with a focus on violence prevention. Furthermore, Bears Care, the charity arm of the Chicago Bears, has maintained a longstanding collaboration with Pastor Phil, organizing community events at The Firehouse Community Arts Center where Bears players and staff volunteer. The Bears remain committed to recognizing and supporting partners and community leaders who consistently contribute outstanding work to their communities."
