The sound of a soccer ball opened up new ways to play at CNIB this summer, and the fun didn’t end when campers headed home.
During Family Week in August, bright white, blue and red soccer balls were distributed to campers from the back of a golf cart. Parents brought their children over, and the pile of soccer balls quickly began to shrink. Around the cart, kids tossed and rolled their new soccer balls, listening to the rattling sound each one made as they played.
The soccer balls were donated through “A Ball for All,” a global initiative, that provides lightweight, sound-emitting soccer balls to young people with sight loss. Local service clubs provided 200 balls for young campers at CNIB Lake Joe, who could take them home, bringing accessible play to their backyards, schools and communities.
The donation started with Lion Nancy Hargrave, Accessibility Chair for District A12 and a long-time friend of CNIB Lake Joe, who reached out to staff in March about bringing “A Ball for All” to camp.
“Inclusivity in sports and play for all children should be an important cause for all,” she said.
Nancy appealed to Lions clubs throughout her district for support, and their response exceeded her original hopes: what began as an effort to fund 10 balls grew to 50 and then 100!
The number doubled when Annie Fernandes of the Rotary Club of Scarborough Bluffs offered to provide another 100 balls, bringing the donated total to 200.
Their generosity extended beyond camp, with balls also distributed to local CNIB offices, giving even more children the opportunity to play soccer. We’re grateful to Nancy and Annie, and to the clubs that supported the initiative, for making this donation possible.
“A Ball for All” is a global campaign that began in Greece with blind-football referee and youth trainer Elias Mastoras, who recognized that traditional blind-soccer balls were too heavy for young children. In 2017, he created a lightweight ball that children could follow by sound, carry to school and use to play with friends. Since then, the initiative has reached children, families and schools around the world, with Lions and Rotary clubs helping bring the balls to more communities.
There are many ways to support campers at CNIB Lake Joe. Explore our Camp Wish List for opportunities to contribute, from arts and crafts supplies to bedding and accessible picnic tables. Your support could help create a camper’s next favourite memory.
Are you interested in supporting CNIB Lake Joe? Reach out to Jennifer Frew, Senior Manager, Philanthropy – CNIB Lake Joe at jennifer.frew@cnib.ca.