Devin Hester Signs Autographs, Brings Cheer to Cornerstone Restaurant

Chicago Bears fans are notoriously loyal to their team, even after a tough loss. It showed on Monday night, as droves of people wearing blue and orange packed  to see Devin Hester, one of the team's most recognizable players.

Hester spent an hour posing for pictures and autographing everything fans brought his way. It was a real treat for Bears supporters young and old, who rarely get the chance to meet these athletes up close and personal.

The significance was not lost on Lenny Seivwright and his son Lenny Jr.

"We are season ticket holders, and we were at the game yesterday, and we were hoping he would break the record," said Lenny Sr., referring to Hester's pursuit of the National Football League record for combined return touchdowns. Lenny Sr. is a season ticket holder and has been ever since he inherited them from his father-in-law, who owned the seats for 50 years.

Hester came to Cornerstone as part of a fundraiser for the Clarendon Hills Cardinals traveling baseball team. Bojudo Entertainment and online memorabilia retailer Brennan's Sports collaborated on the event, which included a silent auction of Bears memorabilia.

Charity auctions are something Chris Chiros, owner of Bojudo Entertainment, likes to do as part of his events. "We usually pick a charity and then we'll do something to benefit them," he said.

It was the first collaborative effort between Chiros and Michael Luz, who owns Brennan's Sports. Luz supplied the Bears merchandise while Chiros scheduled Hester.

But even though it was the first joint event for the two business owners, they've been working together for much longer than that. "Mike and I have actually been best friends since fourth grade," Chiros said. "We started off by writing letters to athletes to ask them for autographs, then we both started small businesses as a passion. We love sports and we just kind of rolled with it, and now it's turning into our careers."

Events like these are a favorite for Cornerstone's owner Bill Carpenter. "I have done three of them so far," said Carpenter, who is on the boards of the Darien Youth Club and the Chamber of Commerce. "Whenever [Chiros arranges] signings like this, he'll do something where he says, 'Pick out an organization you want the money to go to,' and he does the silent auction and all the profits go to that organization. Last year he did one for the sports program."

Watching hundreds of smiling fans leave the restaurant at the end of the night, Chiros reflected the thoughts of those who attended.

"The Cardinals benefitted, the public got to see Devin Hester, and the Cornerstone is a great venue," Chiros said. "Couldn't have asked for a better night."