[bears9]

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Tommie Harris has traveled to Liberia to help build a school for an orphanage and to Iraq to visit U.S. troops. But no endeavor is more rewarding for the Bears defensive tackle than the charity work he’s doing in his hometown.

Harris will be in Killeen, Texas, this weekend for the grand opening of the Tommie Harris Fitness Center at the city’s family recreation center. According to the Killeen Daily Herald, the Bears’ three-time Pro Bowler donated $165,000 to the center for the purchase of treadmills, elliptical machines, mechanical weights and free weights.



“I feel like it’s a great need in the city of Killeen,” Harris said. “Having the kids have something to be able to do to occupy their time is better than being out in the streets doing a lot of other things. I just felt like it’s a necessity for the city of Killeen, and that’s why we did it.”

Harris grew up in a military family near Food Hood, where his father was stationed. Now that he has the means to make a difference, he hopes to serve as a role model for children in Killeen.



Harris headed home to Texas to open fitness center - Chicago Bears