Cam Jurgens will go from snapping the ball to slinging drinks to help raise money for the Eagles Autism Foundation on Tuesday evening from 5-7 PM as he will be joined by teammates at Chickie's and Pete's on Packer Avenue in South Philadelphia. Jurgens and friends will serve as celebrity bartenders.
"We want to get involved with the community and raise money for Eagles Autism," said Jurgens, whose nickname of Beef Jurgy is perfect for tonight's festivities. "You see so many guys on the team get involved with that and they have great events. It's so awesome. Diving in and being a part of this team, I really enjoy being in Philly, want to be here a long time, and I love being around the fans and the community, so it just makes sense to be a part of it."
The Eagles' second-round pick in 2022 spent his first year learning behind the scenes, adjusting to life in Philadelphia and the NFL. He took over the starting right guard position in 2023 and is primed to move over to his natural center position this year. He knows what he has to do to be ready for the season, which has created space for him to get more involved with community initiatives like the Eagles Autism Foundation.
"It takes a little bit of time. At first, you're just figuring out the city and what foundations actually make a difference. Being a part of this, we get to do so many different events with the Eagles Autism Foundation. When everybody gets to come out here, people bring their whole families and there's so many people affected with autism," Jurgens said. "It's really neat seeing how this money actually goes and does something good and it's fun seeing all the players get involved."
This year's Eagles Autism Challenge, presented by Lincoln Financial Group, is set to take place on Saturday, May 18th at Lincoln Financial Field. One hundred percent of participant-raised funds from the team's signature cycling and 5K run/walk event will continue to benefit institutions conducting cutting-edge autism research and care. Jurgens teamed up with the Eagles Autism Foundation to come up with the celebrity bartending event at Chickie's and Pete's to get fans excited about the upcoming season and the Eagles Autism Challenge.
"You're going to see pretty much the whole team bike riding or doing the walk and actually being a part of the festivities," Jurgens said of the Eagles Autism Challenge, which fans can still sign up for using the code May24 to waive the registration fee. "I always do the bike ride and Grant (Calcaterra) and I were the last people to finish the last few years because we take our time running the Rocky Steps by the Art Museum, taking in everything the city has to offer, and getting to spend time with the fans."
Last week, Jurgens joined teammate Landon Dickerson at another Eagles Autism Foundation fundraiser, a sip-and-shop event with Lagos. Tonight's event will be, as Jurgens describes, "a lot less formal."
"Let's do something where we get involved in the community and we get to raise money, give it back to things that help," Jurgens said. "I would much rather have something like that, so this partnership just makes sense. It's great. It's a fun way to get guys on the team together."
