Notre Dame and Chicago Bear football great Chris Zorich gave a speech Sunday in the Coleman Morse Lounge on the importance of community service. Students clustered around Zorich on couches and chairs as he spoke about his life growing up in poverty and the significance community's assistance played in his life as a child.

While Zorich was growing up in the far East side of Chicago, his family was in a state of poverty. He grew up with a single mother and only through the help of government assistance was the family able to receive the bare essentials for survival. There were times, explained Zorich, when there was no food in the house and he would scour the garbage behind the local grocery store for anything edible to eat. Because of the conditions he had to live with, attending college never crossed his mind. Yet, fate was on Zorich's side and he was able to play football at Notre Dame.

"I knew a chance to go to college would open better opportunities for me," said Zorich.

After college, Zorich was drafted to the Chicago Bears, a thought that he did not think would ever be possible.

"Playing for the Bears was a dream come true," said Zorich.

After achieving fame and fortune, Zorich knew he had a duty to help families that are experiencing the poverty he faced as a child.

"I remember standing in line at our church waiting for a food basket," said Zorich. "That makes an impression on you when you're a little kid. I promised myself that if I was ever able to help others, I would. That's why I created The Christopher Zorich Foundation."

The Christopher Zorich Foundation was established in 1993, and is committed to the realization of human potential — mind, body, and spirit. Its mission is `One Purpose, One Goal,' which is to provide assistance and opportunities to disadvantaged Chicagoans. The organization strives to foster a sense of caring, which crosses race, religious, economic, and social boundaries.

The foundation runs a food drive, awards Notre Dame scholarships, donates new toys and clothing to needy children, sponsors a 5K race, gives corsages to women in shelters on Mother's Day, and partakes in various other activities in the Chicago community. On one Thanksgiving, he distributed 97 turkeys to needy families in his community.

Zorich told students that to make a difference in someone's life you must try to put yourself in that person's position.

"By understanding your client, you're opening your heart to what they had to go through," he said.

Zorich is currently attending law school at Notre Dame and plans to stay involved in the betterment of Chicagoland families in the future.

The lecture was the keynote speech of the Blessing Unto Others series sponsored by the Notre Dame Student Government. Now in its second year, the Blessing Unto Others Week centers on the goal of raising student awareness on campus of how blessed students are to be members of Notre Dame Family. Blessing Unto Others seeks to motivate the entire student body to come together each year and raise money for a foreign charity that is served by current Notre Dame students.

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