Bears Care and Hallmark turned a fan auction into a film-day prize this summer, giving Carrie May-Borich and Phillip Salamone featured walk-on roles in Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story. The two winners filmed at Halas Hall on July 17, stepping into a scene built around the Bears Care Gala.
The draw was simple and rare: the auction offered two special featured walk-on roles and a chance to be part of movie-making magic at Halas Hall. The proceeds went directly to Bears Care, the Chicago Bears' charitable arm, which supports programs meant to make a measurable difference for people who are less fortunate, battling cancer or needing a helping hand to reach their full potential.
May-Borich and Salamone won the auction over the summer, then arrived at Halas Hall around noon for a day that began with hair and makeup in trailers before they went on set. They were allowed a plus-one each, and May-Borich brought her best friend, Sheri Pickens, while Salamone brought his father, Phil. Both joined the filming alongside the full cast, Ben Johnson and Cole Kmet.
What was shot was not just a background scene. The gala sequence was designed to mimic the Bears Care Gala, the annual event the Bears typically host at Soldier Field, and the film used that setting to spotlight charity work inside a Hallmark story. That is where the project’s neatest contradiction sits: the movie frames the impact of Bears Care in a polished holiday scene, but the size of the auction haul is not being disclosed here, even as it is described as having raised significant dollars.
For the winners, though, the day was about the experience itself. May-Borich said she had no idea what to expect and called it a really good surprise. Salamone said spending the day filming with his father at Halas Hall was truly a blessing and described meeting Coach Johnson as a once-in-a-lifetime moment he will not forget. The next thing readers need to know is the one piece left open: how much the auction actually raised for Bears Care, a number that would put a hard measure on the holiday story’s charitable reach.
