What O.W.L. camp means to me

My first year being a camper at O.W.L. Camp was in 2015. I was in third grade, and it was my first year ever going to camp, so I was really nervous. I didn’t know how much I would love it. I used to be scared to step out of my comfort zone and try new things, but O.W.L. Camp and NewView have helped a lot with that. Last year I went rock climbing, shot a bow and arrow, and went horseback riding. I would never have experienced those things had it not been for O.W.L. Camp.

When people ask me about O.W.L. Camp, I tell them that it’s a camp where kids that are blind or visually impaired can live their life like other kids do, without having to worry about who is going to make fun of them or stare. It’s simply a place for kids to be themselves. I look forward to O.W.L. Camp every year, because I love meeting new people and just being myself with other kids my age.

One of the best things about O.W.L. Camp is that you have a built-in friend when you walk through the doors, and that is your “buddy.” O.W.L. Camp wouldn’t be the same without them. The buddies help campers with everything from getting up in the morning to eating meals to just being a friend. Another part about camp that I look forward to is the talent show at the end of the week were the parents can come and see all the silly thing that we put together. I’ve been going to O.W.L. Camp for about 4 years now, and it is the one thing that I talk about all year long. From the chants we do to the foam pit we have every year and seeing all my friends again, I love everything about O.W.L. Camp.

Thank you, O.W.L. Camp, for helping me be an Oklahoman Without Limits!