The Illinois Fighting Illini football team, led by head coach Bret Bielema and his family, has taken an inspiring step to support local schools with the FamILLy First Backpack and School Supply Drive. What started as a simple initiative by Coach Bielema has grown into a team-wide effort, with players and staff contributing to make a significant impact on the Champaign-Urbana community.
Coach Bielema and his wife, Jen, kicked off the drive by donating 150 backpacks filled with school supplies to Champaign-Urbana schools, along with 100 Fighting Illini football season tickets in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Memorial Stadium. The Bielema family’s generosity set the tone, and the team quickly followed suit.
Led by wide receiver Pat Bryant, linebacker Kenenna Odeluga, and defensive back Miles Scott, the players pooled together nearly $4,000 to donate to local schools. Their contribution provided grocery gift cards, backpacks, and school supplies to two elementary schools in the area. Bryant and Odeluga personally delivered these donations, showcasing their commitment to giving back.
“Jen and I are excited to launch our backpack and school supply drive for the Champaign-Urbana community,” said Coach Bielema. “It has been awesome to see our players’ eagerness to be involved in the community as well. We are looking forward to giving back, while also providing tickets for young fans to enjoy this historic season at Memorial Stadium, a place that has provided so many great memories for our family.”
The players’ enthusiasm for the drive reflects their dedication to making a difference off the field. “The team is excited to give back and help kids in the community in any way we can,” said Miles Scott. “We can’t wait to see all the kids in Memorial Stadium again this fall.”
Fans can also join the effort by bringing school supplies to FamILLy Movie Night on Saturday, August 10, at Memorial Stadium. For each school supply donation, fans will receive a free bucket of popcorn (first 250 donations, limit two per family). In addition, fans will be entered into a raffle to win one of four sets of season tickets to the 2024 Fighting Illini football season. The movie night will feature an autograph session with Illinois players and a showing of Kung Fu Panda 4 on the stadium videoboard.
As part of this initiative, an additional 84 season tickets will be donated to local schools and charities, totaling 100 season tickets in honor of the Memorial Stadium anniversary.
The Illinois football team kicks off its historic 2024 season on Thursday, August 29 against Eastern Illinois at Memorial Stadium. Fans and community members can cheer on the team knowing that the Illini are making a difference both on and off the field.
Stay tuned for more community impact stories like this on Team Up 4 Community, where athletes are leading the charge to better their communities.
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