May 13, 2024
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Crystal Lake teen center to honor former Bears player with Volunteer of the Year award

By Shaw Local News Network
Patrick Predergast, 21 (from left), Karolyn Seredick, 18, Ray Merkel, 18, Kyle Howell, 16, and Andrew Koenig, 18, play monopoly Wednesday, June 18, 2014, at the Break teen center in Crystal Lake, shortly after it opened.

Patrick Predergast, 21 (from left), Karolyn Seredick, 18, Ray Merkel, 18, Kyle Howell, 16, and Andrew Koenig, 18, play monopoly Wednesday, June 18, 2014, at the Break teen center in Crystal Lake, shortly after it opened. (Kyle Grillot)

Former Chicago Bears strong safety Philip Clark, a longtime volunteer at the Break Teen Center in Crystal Lake, has been selected to receive its Volunteer of the Year Award at its inaugural Bear Down with the Break Tailgate event this Sunday.

Clark has been sharing his life experiences with Break members for almost five years, according to a news release.

Born in 1945, he attended high school in Ohio and played football on scholarship at Northwestern University. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 1967 and traded to the Bears in 1970.

At the Break, Clark plays games, listens to music and shares meals with young adult and teen members.

The teen center provides teens and young adults with a safe, supportive place for connecting, having fun and finding acceptance among peers and adults in the community, according to the release.

Sunday’s event, which will take place 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, will include tailgate food like chicken wings, hot dogs and brats, as well as a chili cook-off, bags games and crafts. The Break is located at 6292 Northwest Highway in Crystal Lake.

Suggested donations for adults is $20 and kids 16 years and under get in free.