Enjoying a sense of excitement
Brittney Hernandez may not be able to see, but when the 6-year-old attended summer camp last year, she could sense the positive change in the air.
“She could tell we were in the woods because she’d say, ‘It smells different,’ or she knew you had to get up early,” says Brittney’s older sister, Katherine, 17. “She could feel the air and just know to put on a sweater because it was going to be cold.”
“Did you have a good time at camp, Brittney?” Katherine asks her younger sibling.
“Yes, I had a very good time,” the shy first-grader replies. “I went swimming and I rode horses.”
Brittney has been blind since the age of 6 months, when she had a seizure that caused her retinas to detach.
“She loves to listen to music; that’s her thing,” Katherine says of Brittney’s interests. “She’ll dance and be active
so she really liked hearing the beat of the song at Camp Bloomfield.”
Bloomfield is run by Junior Blind of America, a foundation dedicated to helping the blind acquire full independence as adults. The camp offers seven sessions each summer during which 75 to 100 campers, ages 5 to 17, and their families descend on the site in the Santa Monica Mountains near Leo Carrillo State Beach in Malibu.
Nearly 85% of the campers are visually impaired but still have some sight; the rest have vision that cannot be corrected with lenses or glasses, which qualifies them as legally blind.
Bloomfield provides a range of activities for visually impaired campers. Archery targets are equipped with beepers, and oversized beads are used to make jewelry in arts and crafts.
Bloomfield staffers prepare for camp by completing exercises blindfolded, such as rearranging their clothes or eating in the dark, to help them relate to a camper’s experience.
“These kids want to be able to participate and go through what normal kids do,” camp director Frank Cardenas says. “At school there might be three kids who are blind out of 2,000. At camp, there’s a great network, with no teasing or bullying. It changes perspectives and encourages kids to have self-worth.
“Horses are the most popular activity, though, because the blind campers are able to feel the enormous power that the horse has and can smell it when they’re out there,” Cardenas adds.
The Hernandez family -- Mom and five kids -- spent most of their days at Bloomfield last summer swimming, completing art projects and horseback riding. They won’t be going this year, though, because the children’s father died recently of a heart attack.
“I hope we can go next year, but we’re not ready right now,” Katherine says. “When my mom told us we couldn’t go, we cried because we love it so much. But this just makes me even more excited for next year.”
Junior Blind of America is one of 60 organizations receiving financial support this year through the Los Angeles Times Summer Camp Campaign. More than 8,000 underprivileged children will go to camp this summer, thanks to $1.5 million raised last year. The annual fundraising campaign is part of the Los Angeles Times Family Fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation, which this year will match the first $1.1 million in contributions at 50 cents on the dollar.
Donations are tax-deductible. For more information, call (213) 237-5771. To make donations by credit card, go to latimes.com/summercamp. To send checks, use the attached coupon. Do not send cash. Unless requested otherwise, gifts of $50 or more will be acknowledged in The Times.
