USM鈥檚 Eagle Walk Becomes EEEEEEKle Walk for The Children鈥檚 Center
Fri, 10/29/2021 - 10:45am | By: Courtney Tesh
USM鈥檚 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 Southern Miss 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 USM鈥檚 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 Children鈥檚 Center for Communication and Development at USM.
鈥淔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,鈥� said Sarah Myers, Director at The Children鈥檚 Center, a non-profit that provides cost-free therapy for children age 0-5 with complex disabilities on both of USM鈥檚 campuses.
鈥淚magine trying to join your friends as they knock on a door,鈥� said Myers, 鈥渂ut not being able to get there in your walker or wheelchair. Or not being able to say 鈥榯rick-or-treat鈥� 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 Children鈥檚 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.鈥�
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 鈥渢rick-or-treats鈥� of every kind, verbal or otherwise.
鈥淪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,鈥� said Myers. 鈥淲e can't thank our friends at USM enough. This event meant so much to both us and to our families.鈥�
鈥淓EEEEEKle Walk was so much fun,鈥� said Julia Sippel, mom to Kennedy (Minnie Mouse), age 2. 鈥淎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.鈥� 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. 鈥淲e are so thankful for all that The Children鈥檚 Center does to make sure our girl can participate in her own way!鈥�
And Seymour stole the hearts of not only the children, but the adults in attendance as well. 鈥淭o see how attentive and patient Seymour was with the children made me so happy,鈥� said Erin Green, mom to Eli, age 3, who was Bluey for the day.
鈥淓li isn鈥檛 typically a big fan of characters in person, but by the time we were leaving he couldn鈥檛 stop hugging and high-fiving Seymour!鈥� Green went on to say how grateful she was for the 4experience and for those involved in making it a success. 鈥淢y baby was so excited and literally danced and giggled the entire time. The Children鈥檚 Center staff and the other USM departments who were there took the children鈥檚 well-being into consideration and turned this into the best trick-or-treating experience I鈥檝e seen. The joy and elation on each of the kids鈥� faces melted my heart.鈥�
And it鈥檚 safe to say that Green was not alone. As Myers said, 鈥淭his morning brought joy to all involved, and we already can鈥檛 wait for next year.鈥�
About The Children鈥檚 Center for Communication and Development
The Children鈥檚 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 .