BY AMANDA MACHAMER
FOR THE OBSERVER
AUBURN — TigerWings founder Kristen Cooper had one goal when launching her company: to connect children to their dream careers.
Available to children aged 5 to 13, TigerWings is an educational nonprofit aimed at spurring children’s curiosity and confidence. During the summer, TigerWings partners with KidCam Camp Programs to reach even more families through summer camp at Chewacla State Park.
In these sessions, outside companies are invited to visit and share a bit about their profession, typically bringing interactive games for children to play. Recent companies at the camp include NASA, Junior Achievement and Honda.
During their visit, children were placed into groups to collaborate on puzzles and gain experience working together in an environment similar to Honda.
Cooper said the goal of the camp is to get children out of their typical routines and support healthy lifestyles.
“Ultimately we’re getting children off of screens and building community together,” Cooper said.
The origin of the name TigerWings dates back nearly 10 years ago when Cooper was living in Colorado.
“The eagle is taking flight,” Cooper said. “It’s almost angelic, and it’s on a mission; it’s off and going. Then you have the tiger, which is strong and bold and fierce, and the two are together in motion. TigerWings is a place where Little Hearts Grow Bold and Prepare to Take Flight.”
Cooper, also a mother of three children, created TigerWings with her own children’s experience in mind. Having gone through various afterschool programs, Cooper wanted to create something that allows children to have a very diverse and enriching experience.
“I’m so thankful for the families of TigerWings,” Cooper said. “A lot of the children in the summer camp programming are in TigerWings after school, which takes place at Lake Wilmore.”
For Cooper, TigerWings also has a large effect on the parents, emphasizing how stressful it can be to find quality programs for their children.
“I think that childcare can be really hard for working parents,” Cooper said. “It’s can be stressful, and you’re managing multiple camps, and it’s just hard to get it all organized. So, I was really thankful for KidCam. The fact that you could have care for your child from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m, if you need those hours, is incredible. KidCam has been a great blessing to a lot of families to have a safe place for their children.”
Honda’s visit to TigerWings also brought Anna Hovey, president of the Auburn Chamber of Commerce. Hovey said TigerWings is crucial for children to begin learning about different paths so they feel more prepared later on in life.
“I feel like part of it too is experiencing things that maybe they think they like and then they try it and then maybe don’t, but that’s still educational,” Hovey said. “That kind of helps them weed in and out of what they think they want to do and make a better educated guess or decision when the time comes.”
TigerWings also inspired Hovey to bring the goal of educating children back to other businesses in Auburn.
“I hope that me learning about this today can kind of bring that idea back to some of our businesses in Auburn, and then maybe they can interact with students too,” Hovey said.
Businesses interested in getting involved should visit tigerwings.co to learn more. Enrollment is also open for full time afterschool at Lake Wilmore.
