Children have been back-to-school shopping lately, but not many can say they got to do it with a Chicago Bears player.
Wide receiver D.J. Moore chaperoned 20 kids from the Boys & Girls Club of Lake County on Friday at the JCPenney’s Hawthorn Center store in Vernon Hills.
Moore shopped with the children and gave thumbs-up on their selections. They picked out shirts, pants and other items with a $100 gift card provided by the store.
“My friends are gonna be so jealous,” Hodari Wright said to his mother.
The 10-year-old is going to tell his schoolmates he and Moore are “good friends” and said he has the selfie to prove it.
Taking his time choosing the perfect outfit was Michael Sandoval. With help from his mother the 9-year-old decided on a pair of sweatpants and T-shirts to match. He said last year he played soccer, but after meeting Moore, he suggested that maybe now he would give football a try.
“I watch [football] games with my dad,” Michael said.
To say thank you for the meet-and-shop opportunity, the shy fourth-grader tilted his head all the way up to look at the 6-foot-tall player. Moore responded by giving him a big smile and taking a picture with him.
“Moments like this go a long way for our youth,” said Germain Castellanos, chief executive officer of the Boys & Girls Club of Lake County. “This partnership helps our kids feel confident, seen and supported as they enter the school year, and having someone like D.J. Moore join them is an unforgettable gift.”
For Moore, too, these moments with fans are special.
“I love doing this,” he said. “It gives me a warm feeling, and brightens everyone’s day. It’s always good to give back when you’re in this position I’m in.”
Moore said he enjoys talking to kids of all ages because “I’m a big kid myself.”
To the event, the Bears player brought his own crew — wife Raven Battle and their three children, ages 5, 2 and 4 months.
Battle said her husband often volunteers to host events for the community, and the couple likes to bring their children along so they can know what it is to help people.
“He’s not just a positive role model to others,” she said. “He’s that to his children, too.”
Not everyone was impressed with the celebrity, though. One toddler in pink, a sibling of one of the participants, denied Moore one of the Cheetos she was eating, and when he went in for a fist bump, she walked away, providing a tender moment that made everyone laugh.
At the end of the shopping trip, everyone gathered by the register to pay for their fresh threads and one by one they said goodbye to Moore. He posed for photos with all the participants individually and in group shots. He talked a little football with the adults and signed the Boys and Girls Club T-shirts the kids were wearing.
Chosen to participate in this event were kids who have attended the Waukegan-based club consistently and have shown leadership skills, officials said.
“It’s not just babysitting,” said Maggie Petre, an aunt of participant Josef Petre. “They give the kids a lot of experiences; There’s a lot of value in this group.”
The Waukegan resident said her 9-year-old nephew gets help with homework when school is in session, and during this summer break he got to go on field trips each week.
His favorite was a museum in Chicago where there was slime, Josef said.
Events like the meet-and-shop with a Chicago Bears player directly support the organization’s mission, to enable young people to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens, especially those with the greatest need, officials said.
Last year, the club served over 1,300 youths, with 84% of families earning under $50,000 per year.
