Bears’ DJ Moore sponsors holiday shopping spree for Chicago youth fresh off monster win over Packers

Browsing Nike sweatsuits in a downtown athletics store alongside Bears wide receiver DJ Moore, 18-year-old Madison had to pinch herself.

“I was like, ‘This isn’t real,’” she said.

Madison, a freshman at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, was one of 10 Chicago students from the Boys and Girls Club who were surprised Monday with a $250 shopping spree at JD Sports sponsored by Moore.

“It’s about that time of year, with Christmas,” Moore said. “For everybody it hasn’t always been special, so we’re here to make it special.”

Moore has caused quite the buzz in Chicago since Saturday, when he sprinted to the end zone to catch a 46-yard pass from Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and beat the Bears’ longtime rival the Green Bay Packers in overtime.

For Madison, who is back in Bronzeville with her family for the holidays, getting to meet Moore made the experience all the more special.

“The craziest part is my mom is like the biggest Bears fan,” she said. “She was like ‘You get to meet him?’ ‘Yeah, Mom, I get to meet him.’ So it was really, really crazy.”

Madison ended up settling on a maroon Nike sweatshirt and bright pink Juicy Couture sweatpants, though she admitted to being overwhelmed by all the options.

The students, all of whom were current or former candidates for Youth of the Year, a Boys and Girls Club leadership program, grinned as they browsed in the store, which was stocked wall-to-wall with new shoes, athletic wear and winter gear. Some of them asked Moore for his opinion on what they should get.

Osa, an 18-year-old point guard from Rogers Park, picked up some new basketball shoes for the upcoming season and bought his 16-year-old sister some walking shoes.

“Honestly, I’m not looking for too much,” Osa said. “I wasn’t that big of a Bears fan before, but I’ve started to tap in a lot more.”

Riding the high of the Bears win and the joy of the holiday season, Moore and his two children watched as one boy clutched a jersey with his name and number on the back.

“Everybody doesn’t have the same opportunities as, say, my kids,” Moore said. “So let them get the exposure of giving back … that’s the biggest thing.”