The Chicago Bears donated $200,000 to charity groups aiding parts of Northwest Indiana and Chicago’s southern suburbs, where residents are still struggling to recover after Aug. 11 storms inflicted widespread wind damage and knocked out electricity.
The football team’s announcement comes days after Bears chairman George H. McCaskey said the Bears are “moving forward” with their plan to build a stadium in Hammond, Indiana, with team president Kevin Warren describing it as the Bears’ “sole focus.” Several hundred people are still without power in Hammond, and thousands more homes and businesses remain dark in neighboring Gary.
In total, more than 33,000 customers in Northwest Indiana have not had electricity restored, 11 days after the derecho tore across the region. Indiana has identified at least seven deaths connected with the storm, which also caused flooding in Central Indiana.
Half of the Bears contribution will go to the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Gary, and half will go to the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago. McCaskey, the Bears owner, was raised in a devout Catholic family.
“Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Gary has been responding to local needs from day one,” Robert J. McClory, bishop of the Diocese of Gary, said in the Bears’ news release. “The support from the Bears and many other partners will help elevate efforts to reach the most vulnerable in our communities.”
The $100,000 donation to Indiana relief efforts, however, pales in comparison to the scale of the incentives the state is offering for the Bears to relocate. Construction of a stadium and surrounding infrastructure would be funded in part through taxes in Porter and Lake counties. A proposed food and beverage tax could raise $12 million to $18 million annually, while a tax on hotel rooms could raise an additional $5.4 million a year.
State lawmakers say a Bears stadium could bring an economic boost to Northwest Indiana as football spectators patronize nearby restaurants, bars, and hotels. But economists are skeptical, with many arguing that public investments in stadiums rarely pay off.
How to access Bears aid
Northwest Indiana residents seeking assistance from the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Gary can call (219) 886-3549 and select option 2, email outreach@catholic-charities.org or visit catholic-charities.org.
Chicago residents seeking assistance from the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago can call (312) 655-7700 or visit catholiccharities.net.
Tilly Robinson is a Pulliam Fellow for the Indianapolis Star. She can be reached at tilly.robinson@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Chicago Bears donate to storm relief in Northwest Indiana
Reporting by Tilly Robinson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Tilly Robinson, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
