Joliet Council Candidate Raises $12K For Local Food Banks

JOLIET, IL — Joliet council candidate Joe Clement last month joined forces with former NFL player Brian Urlacher and local businessman Herb Lande to raise funds for 12 food banks in the city.

The donated funds were raised during a charity event held on March 14 at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 176 headquarters in Joliet. Urlacher, a former Chicago Bears linebacker, was in attendance.

Clement told Patch by phone that he has a long history of giving back to his community.

"I’m on the Sportsmen for Charity board and the United Cerebral Palsy board. This is just one more chance to give back to the community," he said. "I see the long lines at these food banks and I knew people ere hurting. This was the perfect opportunity to help out."

Read more: Meet Joliet City Council Candidate: Joe Clement

Clement said the event, which brought in funds with a $54 admission cost and the sale of footballs autographed by Urlacher, raised some $4,000, and another $8,000 was distributed by Lande, a local businessman who was appointed to serve on the council on an interim basis in December.

Clement said he and his 8-year-old daughter spent Wednesday and Thursday driving around and distributing the $1,000 checks.

"It's just going to help a little, not solve the problem entirely," Clement said. Still, he said he and his daughter "will give it our darnedest to get these checks delivered."

Urlacher told Patch during the March fundraiser that he wants the residents of Joliet to vote for Clement. Urlacher and his wife, Jennipher Frost Urlacher, are close friends with Clement's sister.

Read more: Brian Urlacher Endorses Joe Clement For Joliet Council: Photos

"It's for a good cause and Joe's a good dude," Urlacher told Joliet Patch. "Get out and vote for Joe. I think he has a lot of good ideas and I think he'll do a lot of good for the community on the City Council."

Checks will be donated to these 12 food banks:

• Northern Illinois Food Bank
• St. Patrick's Food Pantry
• Second Baptist Food Pantry
• Spanish Community Center
• Soul Food Pantry
• St. John Lutheran Church
• Morning Star Mission
• Salvation Army Joliet
• St. John The Baptist Food Pantry
• Warren Sharpe Community Center
• Fellowship Bible Joliet
• Forest Park Community Center

Last August, Patch reported that Chicago Bears officials have distanced the organization from Urlacher over activity on his social media account after the shooting of Jacob Blake by Kenosha police.

In a statement, the Bears said the comments "in no way reflect the values or opinions of the Chicago Bears organization," and former Bears running back Matt Forte called them "void of empathy, compassion, wisdom and coherence."

According to the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame website, Urlacher was an eight-time Pro Bowl selection and was named to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 2000s. In his 182 career games, Urlacher had 41.5 sacks, 22 interceptions and two touchdowns, 12 forced fumbles and 16 fumble recoveries. Additionally, he made 1,358 tackles, including 44 games with 10 or more tackles.

Patch editors John Ferak and Jonah Meadows contributed to this report.