The best thing you can do for your community is be a part of it. If you’re looking to get involved, there are many places to do so. Or maybe you’re a junior in high school looking for ways to get your volunteer hours. Every Body Athletics (EBA) is a nonprofit organization based in Tigard where adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities can participate in exercise classes. These workout classes are weekly and available to people with and without disabilities.

The Wolf sat down with the Volunteer Program Lead of the organization, Delana Albaugh, to hear all about what EBA is, how it works, and why it’s important.

In your own words, what is Every Body Athletics?

“Every Body Athletics is a group exercise program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who are 21 and over. We provide exercise classes, we do conversation starters, we do a big group exercise game, and it’s a lot of fun.”

How has EBA benefited you and your life?

“I started volunteering at EBA when it first started in 2017, and I’ve been around the organization ever since. Then I started working full-time for the organization in 2023, so it’s made a really big impact on my life. Specifically, I love building relationships with our athletes.”

What do you think volunteering does for the lives of those with disabilities?

“We do conversation starters, and the reason we do that is because we want our athletes with disabilities and our teammates without disabilities to be able to build connections and build relationships.”

Albaugh has a great sense of community and inclusivity that allows EBA to grow each and every day.

“There’s a statistic out there that says 70 percent, I think, of adults with disabilities who are living in their childhood home don’t have access to peer-to-peer social connection. So that’s one thing we really try to focus on at EBA: providing access to that, not only just physical strengthening, but also social strengthening, as well.”