
The band “Chicago” surprised 8-year-old Cooper Roberts, who was paralyzed in the Highland Park shooting, with a signed guitar during a backstage meetup at Ravinia Festival.
Chicago played at the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park last Sunday and hosted the Roberts family as their guests.
Cooper was shot in the back during the Fourth of July parade shooting in Highland Park last July.
The boy was paralyzed from the waist down as a result of his wound.
The band invited the family backstage prior to the show and made a financial donation to them.
The band also gifted Cooper and his twin brother Luke with signed guitars.
The band members along with manager Peter Schivarelli say they have been “very moved” by the family’s experience and made the donation to assist the family with the extensive costs during their recovery journey.
Last month, the Chicago Bears surprised Cooper with a new wheelchair that will allow him to visit the beach without getting stuck.
The Bears and “Devices 4 the Disabled,” a non-profit organization, partnered to present Cooper with a wheelchair specifically made for the sand.
Cooper visited Halas Hall in Lake Forest with his family, who were presented with the surprise gift after team practice.
Cooper met Bears general manager Ryan Poles, coach Matt Eberflus and dozens of players.
Keely Roberts, Cooper’s mother, said she is a “really hard person to surprise” and did not see it coming.
“It was such an unbelievably not just generous but really thoughtful gesture, and I think that’s probably why it was so emotional for us. It wasn’t just about them giving Cooper and our family this huge gift, it was about a gift so meaningful and so thoughtful for Cooper,” she said.