The Bridge to a Brighter Future: The EAGLES Program

By: Javacia Harris Bowser

Auburn University’s EAGLES Summer Bridge Camp is no ordinary summer camp. It’s a gateway to a brighter future.

The EAGLES summer camp is an initiative of Auburn’s EAGLES program, a post-secondary education program for students with intellectual disabilities that’s designed to help prepare them for independent living. Arguably one of the most successful transition programs in the nation, the EAGLES program launched a summer camp in 2021 to make an even greater impact on Lee County and beyond. The camp strives to live up to its name, serving as a bridge to greater opportunities.

“It’s a great recruitment tool and it’s also a great way for us to provide feedback to the campers and their families on where they could work on developing skills in their K-12 environment,” said Betty Patten, director of the EAGLES program. “We truly want these students to continue to thrive, grow and go on to be contributing members of society in the environments that align with where they want to live. They need to do this in a scaffolded way. Camp is a lot of work, but it’s very necessary.”

Campers aged 14 to 21 learn valuable skills across five focus areas: 1) health and wellness, 2) employment development, 3) academic enrichment, 4) personal and social skills and 5) independent living. They tour Auburn’s campus, including the stadium, football facility and performing arts center. They take pictures with the school’s renowned mascot, Aubie the Tiger. Participants also engage in competitive games and participate in a variety of physical fitness activities, including Pilates and group walks.

“Our summer camp is wildly successful, in part, because parents don’t have to pay what it actually costs to operate it,” Patten said. The camp’s operating costs average about $900 per camper for the one-week day camp. But families are only charged $200. The Alabama Power Foundation has sponsored or donated funds for the camp for several years. “Even $200 is prohibitive to a lot of families, but we’re able to provide scholarships due to the generosity of organizations like the Alabama Power Foundation,” Patten added.

Not only does the EAGLES Summer Bridge Camp give students a sneak peek into life on a college campus, but it also makes them stronger candidates for the EAGLES college program.

EAGLES Summer Bridge Camp Director Emmaree Crayton recalled one student who didn’t shine in his interview for the EAGLES college program but was given the chance to enter the program because he was a past summer camp participant.

“He wasn’t a great interviewer, but we were able to pull back and say, ‘We saw him at camp, and he is going to do great things. He is going to excel,’” Crayton said.

Crayton and the team were right. That same student was recently recognized as the most improved in his cohort.

The EAGLES Summer Camp is meant to be a learning experience not just for the campers but for other Auburn students, too. The camp provides future practitioners with hands-on opportunities to teach and implement evidence-based transition practices to individuals with intellectual disabilities in a controlled setting over the summer.

“Those who have intellectual disabilities are about one percent of the population, yet they frequently engage in healthcare services more than a typical peer might,” Patten said. “You can’t train everyone on specific strategies, but if you have one person in a setting with experience working with these individuals, they can educate others.”

Auburn University’s EAGLES Summer Bridge Camp is just one of several programs for individuals with disabilities the Alabama Power Foundation is proud to support. Others include:

• AIDB Helen Keller School
• Best Buddies International
• Dream Court
• Equip Services
• The Exceptional Foundation
• Gadsden City Schools – Special Olympics Cheerleading
• The Lakeshore Foundation
• Mulherin Home
• Studio by the Tracks
• Theresa Burroughs Residential Living
• United Ability – Gone For Good
• The Wildflower Alliance