Vancouver, Washington—June 22, 2023—Northwest Association for Blind Athletes (NWABA) is excited to announce the start of its seventh-year hosting Camp Spark for children, youth and young adults who are blind and visually impaired, through the summer and winter seasons.
Camp Spark is a comprehensive overnight sports camp for individuals ages 8 to 21, who are blind and visually impaired. This unique model uses sports, physical activity, and orientation and mobility as a catalyst to encourage leadership, independence, advocacy, and daily living skills that contribute to overall greater quality of life.
NWABA will host a total of seven week-long sessions throughout the year. Two summer sessions will be held at the Linfield University Campus in McMinnville, OR and will provide sports instruction to a total of 82 campers ranging in age from 8-21, living in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana. Campers will participate in a variety of sports and recreational activities including goalball (a sport specifically developed for individuals with visual impairments), fitness, beep baseball, tandem cycling, yoga, judo, track & field, and numerous others. One additional summer session is tailored specifically to children, youth and young adults with multiple disabilities, in addition to being blind or visually impaired. And one session, to be held in April 2024, targets elite athletes, ages 10-21, and focuses on high-performance blind soccer and goalball skills. All campers vary in socioeconomic status, ethnic background, and level of skills and abilities and NWABA offers camp free of charge to youth and their families.
Other sessions will be held at various locations throughout Oregon and Washington. For a complete schedule of Camp Spark session descriptions, dates and locations, visit our website.
“Our Board of Directors is extremely excited to offer these truly transformational programs to children and youth with visual impairments. Camp reaches far beyond participating in sports, and acts as a catalyst to help campers gain the confidence, self-esteem, friendships, and independence they need to achieve success in all areas of life.” said Founder, President & CEO, Billy Henry.
Camp Spark is partially funded by the generosity of our individual donors, foundations, state grants and corporate partners; however, additional support is critically needed to deliver a successful camp. Donations to support Camp Spark can be made online at www.nwaba.org/donate or by mailing a check to PO BOX 61489, Vancouver, WA, 98666. For more information on Northwest Association for Blind Athletes, please contact Anne Coleman, Marketing & Communications Manager at 360-768-5647 or media@nwaba.org.
About NWABA:
The mission of Northwest Association for Blind Athletes (NWABA) is to provide life-changing opportunities through sports and physical activity to individuals who are blind and visually impaired. A group of students who were visually impaired formed the association in 2007 to ensure that people who are blind were participating in sports and physical activity. Today, NWABA is a rapidly expanding 501(c)(3) charitable organization that provides more than 1,900 children, youth, adults and military veterans with visual impairments tailored programming which improves self-confidence and self-esteem, promotes independence, creates an inclusive community of supporters, and builds the skills necessary to succeed in all areas of life including school and employment.