Hallmark and Bears Care turned a movie promotion into a fundraiser, auctioning two special featured walk-on roles in Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story and bringing the winners onto the set at Halas Hall on July 17. The proceeds went straight to Bears Care, and the scene they filmed was built to mimic the Bears Care Gala.
For readers searching Brendan Penny now, the draw is not just the film but the chance it gave two fans to step into it. Carrie May-Borich and Phillip Salamone won the auction over the summer and spent the day on set with the full cast, Ben Johnson and Cole Kmet, before getting camera-ready in trailers and heading to the gala scene.
The setup was straightforward: Hallmark and Bears Care used the film to raise money for the charity while folding its mission into the story. Samantha DiPippo said the goal was to show the impact Bears Care has made across Chicagoland, and said the end result is woven throughout the movie, including a scene at the Bears Care Gala.
That is what made the day feel larger than a simple prize. May-Borich arrived with her best friend, Sheri Pickens, while Salamone brought his father, Phil. Both began around noon, then moved through hair and makeup before filming the opening portion of the gala scene, where attendees filed in, interacted with Staley Da Bear and mingled among themselves.
The missing piece is the one that matters most to the people who paid for the experience: how the winners were chosen beyond the auction itself, and how much money the campaign ultimately brought in. Marge Hamm said the opportunities raised significant dollars for the charity and would make a huge impact serving the community this holiday season, but the public account stops there.
What is clear is the result on screen and off. The film gives viewers a glimpse of what Bears Care stands for and what it has done across Chicagoland for decades, while the auction sent two fans home with a memory that came with a direct line to the cause they were helping support.
