Two Jacobs athletes honored by Chicago Bears for their community work

ALGONQUIN – Even the most model of student-athletes occasionally are summoned to the office, as Jacobs football players Dylan Christopherson and Will Seibert learned the morning of Feb. 7.

“I was really nervous,” Seibert said. “I swear I didn’t do anything wrong. They called me and said, ‘Mrs. (principal Barb) Valle wants to see you in the dean’s (office).’ I was like ‘Oh, my goodness.’”

Once there, any fears Seibert and Christopherson had were quickly squashed. They soon realized is was the best call to the office of their lives.

They were taken to the high school auditorium, not far from the office, where Chicaco Bears manager of youth football and community programs Gus Silva delivered the news.

Christopherson and Seibert were being honored as the Bears’ Community High School All-Stars. The Bears honor Players of the Week for on-field performances during the football season in their High School All-Star program. In the winter and spring, the Bears will honor nine others in the Community High School All-Stars program, of which they were the second recipients.

Christopherson, Seibert, Jacobs baseball player Anay Patel and Dundee-Crown multi-sport athlete Porter Leith started Athletes 4 Athletes around Christmas of 2020 with the purpose of helping less-fortunate athletes acquire necessary equipment. They received used equipment that is still in good condition, then give that to athletes who might not be able to afford equipment.

Jacobs football coach Brian Zimmerman nominated Christopherson, a junior tight end-longsnapper, and Seibert, a junior offensive and defensive lineman, for the award.

“They’re the kind of kids you want in your program, who are selfless and do what’s asked of them,” Zimmerman said. “They’re really good kids, super-selfless and very deserving of this award.”

The two were amazed and thrilled to find out they had won. The Bears will donate $500 to Athletes 4 Athletes. Christopherson and Seibert will be invited to Halas Hall at some point (for an NFL Draft Party or to watch a workout), and they received footballs with their names painted on them and Bears backpacks and caps.

“That was really something, I was not expecting that,” Christopherson said. " I remember (Zimmerman) saying he was nominating us, but I wasn’t expecting it to happen so fast and wasn’t expecting to get it. It’s really something.”

Christopherson said he got the idea to help other athletes from his days growing up playing flag football. The four are close friends and all play sports, thus the name Athletes 4 Athletes.

“When I played flag football up until eighth grade and there was always a Boys and Girls Club team and they were so much better than us, but they were sliding all over the place,” Christopherson said. “They didn’t have cleats. My dad (Mark Christopherson) had the idea of donating them cleats. We played them the next time (with cleats) and they absolutely destroyed us.

“It was so eye-opening to see what that one change meant. Two years in a row. That one change might change their perspective and they may want to go play high school now.”

The four were online on Christmas Eve of 2020 exchanging ideas and writing out their business plan.

“It was in the middle of COVID and a lot of people weren’t doing well,” Christopherson said. “We had the idea, ‘Let’s do something.’ I said, ‘What if we donate youth equipment to any athlete in need?’ They liked the idea.”

Seibert said they probably spent 50 hours developing their business plan and website (athletesfourathletes.com). They have 501c3 status as a nonprofit organization.

The Christophersons’ garage is filling up with all the various athletic shoes, catchers’ gear, bats, helmets, soccer balls, footballs and basketballs.

“We’re getting stuff to kids now,” Seibert said. “We have different methods. With the Boys and Girls Club, we might go to their first practice and disperse things that way. We can go to their houses or they can come to our houses and pick it up.”

Zimmerman and Crystal Lake South football coach Rob Fontana both provided substantial donations to the group’s footwear inventory.

“At the end of the year, when we were cleaning out the locker room and I was throwing out the cleats that nobody claimed and they were scooping up the ones that were still salvageable and still able to be used,” Zimmerman said. “Coach Fontana at South said he had a bunch of shoes just sitting there and we get over there and they’re new Under Armour shoes.”

Mundelein’s Miguel Hernandez was the first Community High School All-Star, announced last Thursday. Christopherson and Seibert were announced this Thursday.

“There are three main criteria,” Silva said. “Community service, service to the school and academic excellence. All three the boys met those and we’re looking at statements from the person who nominated them about their character.

“They’re high-character kids doing a lot in their community. These are the kids the award was made for. They’re all the same type of kids. A lot of the time the kids who win play unselfish positions. They’re used to giving without the pats on the back or their name in the paper.”

Zimmerman said Christopherson and Seibert both were 4.0-plus GPA students.

People can interact with the organization on Twitter at @AthletesFourA and also can request equipment at the bottom of the website’s home page.

The four are proud to be helping others.

“It’s an amazing feeling, being able to know you’re making a change in someone’s life,” Seibert said. “It’s an amazing feeling. You see their face light up when you give them something. Seeing their eyes light up when they fill out a form for something they need. It’s so gratifying, it’s really humbling.”