NBC Philadelphia will offer an exclusive, all-access look at the Eagles Autism Challenge on Thursday night at 7 PM with the special Awareness to Action: The Eagles Autism Challenge presented by Lincoln Financial to get fans excited for this year's event on Sunday, May 9.

If you haven't registered, there's still time. Use code ACCEPTANCE26 for free registration. Last year, there were more than 7,000 participants, with 43,000 donations from around the world raising more than $10 million for the mission. 2026 is expected to be the biggest one yet. Still not convinced? Awareness to Action: The Eagles Autism Challenge presented by Lincoln Financial highlights several aspects of how the Eagles Autism Foundation is making a transformational impact in the world of autism.

1. An up-close experience with the team

Zack Baun participated in the West Sensory Walk, posing for photos and signing autographs throughout the sensory-friendly 5K event. Cooper DeJean and Jordan Mailata were just some of the Eagles who rode in the Wawa Bike Ride alongside fans.

"This is like gameday," Baun said, reveling in the chance to engage with the families.

2. Hanging with the Kelces

Jason Kelce takes fans behind the scenes of his annual celebrity bartending event at Ocean Drive in Sea Isle, New Jersey. Kylie Kelce added her own event last year, which sold out and raised $100,000 for the Eagles Autism Foundation – yoga on the beach. Jason and his good friend and former teammate, Beau Allen, joined the session.

"It was challenging out there," Jason said.

Allen used one word to describe it ... "Humbling."

The fifth annual extravaganza raised more than $1 million for the Eagles Autism Foundation.

3. The first in Eagles history

Ed Callahan was the first Eagles fan to win the NFL's Ultimate Fan of the Year contest in 2025. Callahan attended his first Eagles game in 1954 at Shibe Park, and he has been a Season Ticket Member since the 1997 season. He began attending every Eagles home game after he retired from the Navy and has been a regular tailgater since the Eagles moved to Lincoln Financial Field in 2003.

After spending years with a tampered-down tailgate, Callahan upgraded his setup during the 2004 season by purchasing an RV, called the Eagle Mobile. When that broke down in 2012, the group decided to splurge on the Eagle Mobile II, which is in the Tailgating Hall of Fame.

A major part of Callahan's tailgates is supporting the Eagles Autism Foundation, holding auctions at his RV with the proceeds going to EAF.

He has donated more than $500,000 to date. His involvement with EAF has even grown recently as he now has a nephew who is on the Autism spectrum.

"As I've come to meet people on the spectrum and also have family members who are on the spectrum, there's more meaning to the fundraising to me now than it was in 2019," Callahan said. "And I think if you look at how we did our fundraising over the course of those years, you'll see the incremental increases and how well we've done.

"That's a testament, not to me, but to the fundraising activities we can do at our tailgate and other events where we can actually bring in those that are around us to contribute and ultimately to reach the totals that we set for ourselves."

4. A special keepsake

Nancy and Patrick Farren sat down for a Zoom call in October, thinking they were going to chat with the Eagles Autism Foundation regarding the resources it provides. However, when they got on the call, they were met by Eagles Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie.

Shock immediately set in.

Alongside EAF Executive Director Ryan Hammond, Lurie announced that the Farren family was the winner of the organization's Super Bowl LIX ring giveaway. The nearly three-month sweepstakes saw almost 20,000 entries raise more than $700,000 to the Eagles Autism Foundation.

"(We were) taken aback at first. We literally were staring at the screen like, 'Is this real?' This is just too unbelievable," Patrick said. "We still didn't know why they were there. ... The concept of winning never even dawned on our imagination."

The Farren family has been familiar with EAF for a while, and after 8-year-old Andy was diagnosed with autism a year and a half ago, their involvement has increased.

"The research that the Eagles Autism Foundation is doing, the resources that are made available, the events, like the All-Abilities S.T.E.M. Clinic or the many other things that they put on, just brings awareness around (autism)," Nancy said.

"Once we did finally get a diagnosis (for Andy), you feel a little bit alone as a parent. I think we maybe felt a little lost and a little bit alone and not sure what the next step was."

5. A team effort

Thanks to Nouryon, who has donated more than $1 million, the Eagles Autism Foundation hosts a series of All Abilities Clinics designed with resources and support integrated into the event structure to promote accessibility for all participants. The goal is to create an inclusive environment that offers an experience for individuals with special needs to participate alongside their peers. This includes trained volunteers, a smaller group size, a visual schedule for step-by-step guidance on how to prepare, as well as a quiet space.

There are four All Abilities Clinics: Cheer, Drumline, S.T.E.M presented by Bentley Systems, and Football. The spring All Abilities Clinic series concludes next week with Football. Madden Orlovsky, son of former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky, attended the S.T.E.M. Clinic this past fall.

The S.T.E.M. Clinic had four interactive stations where 75 participants of all ages and their families enjoyed numerous activities. The stations consisted of geospatial technology with Cesium, 3-D printing and avatar creating with Create Access, Ozobots, magnetic race cars with Bentley, coloring, magnatiles, and keychain coding.

The clinic marked a powerful day for the Orlovsky family. However, the most special part was seeing Madden be unequivocally himself.

"It was special," said Madden's mother, Tiffany. "There's not that many opportunities where that happens, to be able to do that and just get to see him enjoy it and be himself and not feel like he has to 'fit in.'"

If you miss Thursday night's debut of Awareness to Action: The Eagles Autism Challenge presented by Lincoln Financial, it will re-air on Saturday, April 11 at 5 PM on NBCSP and on Monday, April 13 at 11 PM, again on NBCSP.