Lily Morgan, Kristina Ramos, and Harrison Kolc have been best friends for as long as they can remember.
They met at Camp Sight, a two-week-long summer day camp for children who are blind and visually impaired in Northeast Pennsylvania.
“We are definitely family through and through,” Morgan said. “Growing up with them is truly the feeling of not ever being judged, but being accepted,” she added.
At the camp, kids ages 6 to 18 learn social and daily living skills. They participate in activities they may not typically be able to do, including archery, rock climbing, and canoeing. An array of arts and crafts activities are also scheduled for campers every year.
More than any activity, though, Camp Sight has provided children with friendships and memories to last a lifetime.
“It’s our favorite time of year,” said Sara Peperno, president and CEO of Northeast Sight Services, one of the organizers of Camp Sight. “It’s a great opportunity for the kids to get together.”
Peperno said Camp Sight is important to the community — it’s the only summer camp of its kind in Northeast Pa.
“With their vision loss, they don’t really have the same opportunities that their sighted peers have. I think this gives them the opportunity to try out new things and be in a supportive environment with people that understand,” she said.
On Tuesday, the campers traveled to HANDS of Wyoming County, an early childhood and family support agency in Mehoopany. They toured the outside garden. The children smelled and touched different culinary herbs. Then, the group made their own take-home potted plants.
As the campers prepared for a barbeque lunch, the trio of Morgan, Ramos, and Kolc was particularly inseparable. As they laughed over inside jokes and recalled memories of previous camps, Morgan spoke about how the camp has helped her.
“It’s trying the ‘new’ — this camp has truly opened me up to embracing the ‘new’ and being ready for what’s next. It has made me confident for my future knowing that there’s help out there and no one ever truly does it alone… embrace the ‘new’, especially with the people you love,” said Morgan, 15.
“It doesn’t matter where we go,” added Kolc, 15. “It’s more the friends you make along the way.”
Ramos, 18, is in her last year before aging out of the camp. She agreed with Kolc.
“This year especially, I’m really looking forward to spending time with you two, like, as much as I physically can,” she said.
The three all agreed that Camp Sight has helped them discover new passions and hobbies.
“I’ve found out here that I really like canoeing and being on the river and being in water all the time,” Morgan said as Kolc began to laugh. “Blind kid going down a river — what kind of thing is that? But here we are,” Morgan joked.
Morgan, Kolc, and Ramos share a special bond that, without Camp Sight, may never have formed.
“The incidence of vision loss is actually very low for children, so this is a great opportunity for children with disabilities to get together and meet each other and try new activities,” Peperno said.
The small group of campers sat around the lunch table, smelling cherry wood and special barbeque rub. The kids at Camp Sight wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I am really not a social-type person, but… seeing them all together, makes me very, very… squiggly inside,” Ramos said.
Ramos let her friends know how important they were to her as the longstanding trio collapsed into an impromptu group hug.
“You make me full!” she said.
For more details about Camp Sight, visit northeastsight.org.