"Wearing a No. 90 Bears jersey and a smile that spread across Dave and Buster's, 11-year-old Javon Jackson was awestruck as he stood next to Julius Peppers.

"How tall are you?" Javon inquired.

In the eyes of Javon and the 11 other boys there from Big Brothers Big Sisters, the 6-foot-7, 283-pound defensive end seemed larger than life.

Their mesmerized looks had plenty to do with the $100,000 check Peppers presented to Big Brothers Big Sisters as part of his personal initiative, "Game Plan for Life." And their emotions were triggered by how frankly the usually reserved Peppers spoke.

The 12 boys are part of the organization's Metro Chicago agency that services 1,800 children, 95 percent from single parent or economically disadvantaged homes and more than half have an incarcerated family member."