The phrase “mother knows best” is ubiquitous for a reason. For Bears defensive tackle Chris Williams and offensive lineman Theo Benedet, it rings true because of their mothers’ influences on learning the power of community service at a young age.
Williams — a veteran who entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2020 — holds special memories of volunteering at soup kitchens with his mother and hyping people up at her company’s breast cancer awareness runs.
For Benedet — a second-year pro from British Columbia — his favorite activity to to volunteer at with his mom as a kid was beach cleanups in Vancouver. He also enjoyed coaching sports like soccer and floor hockey with Special Olympics British Columbia.
“To my mom it was the idea of, I was fortunate to have a good childhood growing up and have privileges that not everybody gets,” Benedet said. “So it was important to acknowledge that and try to find ways to help those that may not have that.”
Being introduced to volunteer work and the impact of giving back by the women that raised them made it easy for Williams and Benedet to take their mothers’ guidance and run with it, even into adulthood. Now, the pair are some of the most frequent attendees at Bears community events throughout Chicagoland.
“My mom used to tell me – there was one point in her life where she was working on personal growth – and she read a book that told her giving back and volunteering just helps you put yourself in the correct mood and correct space to keep growing as a person,” Williams said.
“When you do things like this, no matter if you’re having a good day or a bad day, just being able to come out and put a smile on someone’s face, sometimes just by showing up, it puts you in an even-keeled place for you to keep going and approaching life with gratitude.”