Chicago Bears’ All Pro Running Back Matt Forte Announces 2014 "A Run For Our Future!" Event

CHICAGO - Jan. 21, 2014 - PRLog -- Matt Forte, running back for the Chicago Bears, will host A Run For Our Future!, the inaugural fundraising event for The Matt Forte Foundation.  It will take place during the 2014 Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K on March 30^th at Grant Park in Chicago.  Proceeds will benefit Bears Care to assist the recently established Matt Forte Foundation in providing life-changing resources to high school students in Chicago.

Matt Forte’s A Run For Our Future! will be a race inside a race; namely the Shamrock Shuffle, which is the second-largest race in Chicago with 40,000 registered participants slated for 2014.  The A Run For Our Future! team will consist of runners that are registered for the race and have elected to join his team.  His team’s support will bolster Matt’s efforts to encourage students to pursue their dreams of a higher education.  Participants will also be able to form their own teams and raise donations with incentives provided as they reach fundraising milestones.

Since entering the league, Matt has made being involved in the Chicago community a priority.  In addition to serving as the spokesperson for Chicago’s Mercy Home, Matt is actively involved with several local Chicago High Schools.  He has hosted mentoring dinners for inner city teens, free football camps, and donated resources to both Tilden High School and Douglass Academy.  Matt is a vocal advocate for education and encourages students to value it.

“My time at Tulane University truly shaped my view on the importance of education,” Forte said. “The statistics that show the correlation between the high school dropout rate and incarceration definitely motivated me to act.  A good education can clearly change the course of your life and it allows you to better yourself.”

Chicago’s high school dropout rate is approximately 35% and is a prevalent factor in the city’s problems with poverty, violence and unemployment. A recent study showed that among Illinois youth ages 18-34, dropouts accounted for 51% of the state’s incarcerated population.  Matt’s aim is to do his part to help reverse the startling trend.

For information on how you can join Matt Forte’s A Run For Our Future! team at the 2014 Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K, please visit www.CrowdRise.com/MattForte, or contact Katrina Leonce,  kleonce@kelleydrye.com (202) 719-6036.

About Matt Forte:  Running back Matt Forte graduated from Tulane University with a degree in Finance.  In 2011, he became the first Chicago Bears running back named to the Pro Bowl in over 10 years.  Matt is the first Chicago Bear and only NFL player to have over 900 rushing yards and 400 receiving yards in each of his first 4 seasons.  The Matt Forte Foundation was established in 2013 to empower students striving to achieve their dreams of a higher education.