What do these two things have in common?

Regardless of who are cheering for in the Super Bowl, you can cheer for professional sports players who have a history in adoption or foster care.



Duante Culpepper, NFL Quarterback Superstar
Anthony "Cos" DiCosmo, Pro Football Player
Dan O’Brien, Olympic Gold Medalist
Billy Mills, Track & Field Athlete
Babe Ruth, Baseball Legend
Eric Dickerson – Professional football player
Greg Louganis – Olympic Gold Medalist
Peter and Kitty Carruthers - figure skaters
Scott Hamilton - figure skater

If you follow sports, you know that this Super Bowl will have the Indianapolis Colts playing the Chicago Bears.

A quick check of the Colts website has the following press release about a program they are involved in for foster care:

Colts, Department of Child Services Collect Books for Foster Youth

INDIANAPOLIS - In Marion County alone, more than 1,200 children are in the foster care system and many of these children have little or nothing to call their own. The Indianapolis Colts, Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) and the Indianapolis Marion County Public Library want that to change.

Tuesday, the Colts, the DCS and the library announced a new partnership to provide personal libraries for foster youth and young adults. Through the Books for Youth program, the initial goal is to collect 50,000 books in the next year, thereby providing a personal library of 25 books to every foster youth and young adult in Marion County.

And the Chicago Bears have the following program:

Monday, November 27: Bears cornerback Charles Tillman and safety Danieal Manning will join 50 children from LYDIA Home at a shopping spree at the Meijer Store (1301 Meijer Drive) in Rolling Meadows on Monday, November 27 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Each child will receive a Meijer gift certificate valued at $100, courtesy of Meijer, Chicagoland’s Supercenter. Following the shopping spree, the kids will be treated to a pizza party with the Bears players and Bears mascot Staley.

Founded in 1916, LYDIA Home is a Christian organization whose mission is to strengthen families to care for children and care for children whose families cannot. LYDIA provides a diverse range of programs, from residential treatment to foster care, counseling to parenting classes, and many offerings in between. LYDIA’s Residential Treatment program provides a structured, therapeutic environment for children and adolescents with serious behavioral issues, many of whom have been traumatized by abuse or neglect. LYDIA’s aim is to provide healing and to teach these children the practical life skills they need to live in a home setting successfully.

So cheer for the team of your choice, watch for the commercials, or just enjoy lots of food. Most of all, enjoy the day.

I’ll be cheering for the Colts. I’m from Wisconsin, and can’t stand the thought of the Chicago Bears being Super Bowl Champions.

Photo credit