As part of our long-standing partnership with the Chicago Bulls and Gallagher, Mercy Home for Boys & Girls continued its second annual Health and Wellness Challenge with a visit to the United Center last Monday afternoon.

Our young people heard from representatives from Gallagher and the Chicago Bulls who discussed their career paths and advice for anyone interested in similar occupations. One professional worked in marketing, another was in sourcing, and another specialized in Tiktok communications for the Bulls.

“I think it was a great opportunity for the youth to hear from people with an array of career specialties,” Tutoring and After School Programs Coordinator, Veronica Quintero, said. “I thought it was nice that a lot of their jobs included people skills because a lot of our youth do have that natural talent with connecting with people.”

Following the panel discussion and lunch, the kids were split into groups and received a tour of the offices at the United Center and then played jeopardy for a chance to win some Bulls-themed prizes. They kids saw multiple departments and people using meeting spaces to work together.

“I thought that they really appreciated the tour of the Bulls facility and just meeting different people,” Quintero said. “I thought the tour was at a great pace for the kids and they got to speak to people from ticketing and sales. It was a great opportunity to talk about looking for a culture in a company because everybody that I talked to there seemed very happy. It was a great way to get the kids excited about pursuing a career.”

The youth enjoyed the opportunity to compete as well. Following the event, youth from Bosco and Couderc Home, who earned a shopping spree at a local bookstore, traveled to Pilsen to browse and purchase reading material. One youth, who primarily speaks Spanish, was able to get two books in Spanish and one in English.

“I was really happy that the bookstore that we went to had such a great selection,” Quintero said. “It was a great energy and I feel like both campuses expressed a lot of gratitude and enjoyed the experience.”

The Bulls Health and Wellness Challenge is designed to motivate kids to make intentional choices that will benefit their mental, emotional, and intellectual health. The program kicked off in January with a visit from the Bulls’ community relations team and volunteers from Gallagher Insurance. Participants in the kickoff competed in relay races for prizes such as Bulls jerseys and bobbleheads and decorated blank canvas shoes from Vans. The Bulls also brought in Sneaker/Cleat Design Expert, Anthony Amos, to help the kids with their wearable creations.

The program will run through March and conclude at the United Center, where our young people will attend a Chicago Bulls game.