My name is Amy. I am 17 and I am visually impaired. For the past couple of years I have attended CampAbilities in County Kerry. For those of you who don’t know what CampAbilities is, it is a sports camp for visually impaired children and teenagers from all around Ireland.
One of the most important things to me is getting to participate in sports that wouldn’t usually be available to me, it could be simply because the facilities are not available in my local area. The sports are adapted for the blind and visually impaired.
To me, CampAbilities is much more than just a camp. It is like a family which grows every year, making friends with people with a similar disability is hugely important to me as they know what it’s like to live with a sight problem. Each year brings something different to camp and many new memories.
For the last two years I have been a Leader in Training (LIT). This involves much more responsibility than being a camper but doesn’t take away from the fun.
This year, an exchange is taking place between CampAbilities Ireland and CampAbilities Utah. I did an interview and I was fortunate enough to be selected along with another LIT to take part. This means the world to me, being selected to represent Camp Ireland is such an amazing feeling. To travel with CampAbilities to a different country is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I cannot wait. It gives me a chance to meet new people, to experience a different culture and, best of all, experience camp in a way which I have never experienced before.
As a part of being selected to go to the States, I was required to do some fundraising. Both of my fundraisers took place on Saturday June 11th. The first being a bag pack in SuperValu, Abbeyleix, County Laois, which was hugely successful. That night, we had a fundraising night in the local pub, Eamonn A’Chnoic in Raheen, County Laois. There was raffle with over 30 prizes which were all donated by local businesses. This night was a great success. I was extremely grateful to my community for their support and generosity which helped make my fundraising an overwhelming success. Once again, I am extremely grateful for being selected to represent my country. Roll on July!!
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This is a guest post written by Amy Sinnott, a Leader in Training (LIT) at CampAbilities Ireland. She will be on the CampAbilties exchange and attend camp in Utah from 11th-15th July. We cannot wait to hear all about it!
