Camp Abilities North Florida is a summer camp for visually impaired children. The camp was started three years ago by two local teachers who wanted their visually impaired students to have a summer camp experience like everyone else. The camp is held in Starke, Florida at the Montgomery Presbyterian Center.
The week-long sleep-away camp is chockfull of activities such as archery, beep kickball, paddle boarding, kayaking, canoeing, swimming and more. These activities are adapted to fit the campers' needs; for example, the archery targets have balloons pinned to them so that campers can hear when they hit a target. There are also evening activities for the campers, such as the talent show and the camp dance.
Directors Leah Stearns and Jenn Stelmach are focused on their campers' abilities rather than their disabilities, because a loss of sight is never a loss of vision.
Next year, Jenn and Leah hope to expand camp to two weeks to give more students the opportunity to learn and grow at Camp Abilities North Florida. As a certified 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the camp funds itself completely through donations.
To learn more about how to donate or get involved, visit their camp website
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