Kelly Stangeland is an avid Chicago Bears fan who never misses a game. But she won’t be watching the team’s Sept. 28 NFC North showdown with the rival Green Bay Packers on TV.
Thanks to Bears cornerback Charles Tillman, Stangeland and her husband, Alex, will attend the Sunday afternoon game in person at Soldier Field. After ordering a box of Tillman’s favorite things from the Quarterly Company, she was randomly chosen to receive two free Bears tickets.
“When I got the email saying I had won the sweepstakes, I was pretty excited,” Stangeland said. “I’m a huge Bears fan, so of anything I could win, that was probably the most exciting thing. I called my husband right away and said, ‘You’ll never believe this, but we won Bears tickets.’”
The Quarterly Company is a subscription service that sends curated gifts in the mail every three months to fans from athletes and other celebrities. The celebrities hand-pick their favorite items to include in the boxes, which cost $50.
Funds that Tillman earns through the sale of his Quarterly boxes will be donated to the Cornerstone Foundation, the charitable organization he created in 2005.
Stangeland found out about Tillman’s partnership with Quarterly via his Twitter page.
“I just thought it was a cool idea that you’re getting something much pretty directly from a Chicago Bears player,” Stangeland said. “It’s their thought process. They put the box together. So it’s almost like you get a personal connection with the player.
“I just thought it was neat that you’re getting stuff that either inspires them or that they use on a daily basis. So it’s a personal connection with a Bears player, and I think that’s what really got me excited about it.”
Tillman’s box included a Star Wars book, a Chewbacca action figure, a motivational book entitled “212: The Extra Degree,” an autographed football card and a personal note about what the items mean to the Bears cornerback.
Stangeland was elated to receive the unique box from one of her favorite Bears players.
“I’m a pretty big Charles Tillman fan,” she said. “We have a couple autographed footballs from him from going to Bears conventions and things in the past. We went to Bears Family Fest and he happened to be outside the gate where we were checking in, and we got his autograph. He was great about everything. He must have stood out there for 20 minutes just signing autographs.”
Stangeland appreciates what Tillman has accomplished both on and off the field. He has become one of the best defensive players in Bears history, establishing franchise records with nine defensive touchdowns, eight interception return TDs and 675 interception return yards.
And through the Cornerstone Foundation, Tillman’s efforts have impacted over one million children and raised more than $1 million. The foundation’s signature programs include “Charles’ Locker,” “Field of Dreams,” “Holiday Celebration,” “TendHER Heart Luncheon” and “The Tiana Fund.”
“He’s doing everything he can to help the Bears win,” Stangeland said. “I admire that fortitude and that ability to push past anything that might be stopping you. Plus I know he does a lot of great things for the community and I know he does a lot for children. All around he seems like a great guy.”
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