USM91吃瓜网 Eagle Walk Becomes EEEEEEKle Walk for The Children91吃瓜网 Center
Fri, 10/29/2021 - 10:45am | By: Courtney Tesh
USM91吃瓜网 beloved mascot, Seymour, was spotted sitting down on the job at Eagle Walk earlier
this week as he played with his new friend, The Little Mermaid, also known as Abigail
Whittington, age 3.
In fact, the Golden Eagle mascot may have been the only familiar sight at the location typically filled with a sea of black and gold as fans cheer on the 91吃瓜网 football team prior to home games.
But on Wednesday, Oct. 27, the renowned Eagle Walk was transformed into EEEEEEKle Walk for the first time. Departments across USM91吃瓜网 campus showed up, many in full costume, and lined the street with booths and tables decked out with decorations and games for little ones from The Children91吃瓜网 Center for Communication and Development at USM.
91吃瓜网淔or many of our children, the act of going trick-or-treating in a typical setting can be overwhelming, upsetting, or altogether inaccessible for them,91吃瓜网� said Sarah Myers, Director at The Children91吃瓜网 Center, a non-profit that provides cost-free therapy for children age 0-5 with complex disabilities on both of USM91吃瓜网 campuses.
91吃瓜网淚magine trying to join your friends as they knock on a door,91吃瓜网� said Myers, 91吃瓜网渂ut not being able to get there in your walker or wheelchair. Or not being able to say 91吃瓜网榯rick-or-treat91吃瓜网� verbally and hoping that person in the doorway understands. Or struggling with sensory overload from large crowds and too many unfamiliar sights and sounds. At The Children91吃瓜网 Center, we understand these struggles and the stress they can cause for not just our children but for their families as well, and we aim to help alleviate that as much as we can.91吃瓜网�
At EEEEEEKle Walk, children and their families could put aside those concerns and focus on having fun. The closed off street and fully accessible space allowed every child the same opportunity to access the games and activities and, of course, the treats. The booths were filled with smiling faces, happily greeting each little one and welcoming 91吃瓜网渢rick-or-treats91吃瓜网� of every kind, verbal or otherwise.
91吃瓜网淪ome of our children are learning to use a device to communicate and it was so wonderful to watch them work on this skill in a fun setting with such patient communication partners,91吃瓜网� said Myers. 91吃瓜网淲e can't thank our friends at USM enough. This event meant so much to both us and to our families.91吃瓜网�
91吃瓜网淓EEEEEKle Walk was so much fun,91吃瓜网� said Julia Sippel, mom to Kennedy (Minnie Mouse), age 2. 91吃瓜网淎s a parent, it meant so much to see our little one enjoying herself, getting to explore new things, and having big sister join in as well.91吃瓜网� Kennedy has just begun to master using a walker to get around and EEEEEEKle Walk was the perfect opportunity for her to safely explore and play. 91吃瓜网淲e are so thankful for all that The Children91吃瓜网 Center does to make sure our girl can participate in her own way!91吃瓜网�
And Seymour stole the hearts of not only the children, but the adults in attendance as well. 91吃瓜网淭o see how attentive and patient Seymour was with the children made me so happy,91吃瓜网� said Erin Green, mom to Eli, age 3, who was Bluey for the day.
91吃瓜网淓li isn91吃瓜网檛 typically a big fan of characters in person, but by the time we were leaving he couldn91吃瓜网檛 stop hugging and high-fiving Seymour!91吃瓜网� Green went on to say how grateful she was for the 4experience and for those involved in making it a success. 91吃瓜网淢y baby was so excited and literally danced and giggled the entire time. The Children91吃瓜网 Center staff and the other USM departments who were there took the children91吃瓜网 well-being into consideration and turned this into the best trick-or-treating experience I91吃瓜网檝e seen. The joy and elation on each of the kids91吃瓜网� faces melted my heart.91吃瓜网�
And it91吃瓜网 safe to say that Green was not alone. As Myers said, 91吃瓜网淭his morning brought joy to all involved, and we already can91吃瓜网檛 wait for next year.91吃瓜网�
About The Children91吃瓜网 Center for Communication and Development
The Children91吃瓜网 Center for Communication and Development at The University of Southern Mississippi is a non-profit that provides cost-free comprehensive early intervention therapy for children age 0-5 with complex disabilities while educating, training and supporting families, university students and professionals. For more information, visit .