Eagles Autism Challenge postponed, organizers hope to reschedule in 2021

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PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Eagles' Autism Challenge has been postponed as the city continues to combat the spread of the coronavirus, the team announced on Friday.

The annual fundraising event held near Lincoln Financial Field was scheduled for May 22. A new date has not been announced, but organizers said they hope to reschedule sometime in 2021.

"We look forward to coming together again as a community and celebrating yet another transformational day for individuals and families affected by autism," Executive Director of the Eagles Autism Foundation Ryan Hammond said.

The Eagles Autism Challenge includes a 5k run/walk, a sensory walk and three different bike tours that go up to 50 miles. Individuals or teams are asked to solicit donations for the Eagles Autism Foundation.

Last year's event was held virtually in September and still managed to raise over $3M with nearly 3,000 participants.

Started in 2018 by Eagles Chairman & CEO Jeffrey Lurie, the Autism Challenge has raised over $10M for Philadelphia institutions that specialize in cutting-edge autism research and care.

The team says 35 research projects and community grants have been funded for exploratory work in the field of autism over the past three years as a direct result of the fundraising effort.

A Philadelphia spokesperson told FOX 29 that the city will soon start accepting applications for large outdoor events. Philadelphia's health department has acted independently from the state for most of the pandemic, but the city recently brought itself closer to Gov. Wolf's guidance on indoor capacity and crowd sizes.

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