Photo description: Ben Friday, Wendy Fagan, and Jillian Stringfellow together at the 2nd Annual Golf Fundraiser at Grove City Country Club.
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ENVISION TEAM NEWS
ENVISION TEAM NEWS
WELCOME BACK TO THE VISION!
Highlighted in this quarter's newsletter will be a recap of summer and fall events, new athlete, volunteer, and sponsor spotlights, resources, and more! Special thanks to our fall intern Chloe Eisenberg for helping put this newsletter together.
We welcome any new ideas or suggestions you would like to see highlighted. If you have any thoughts or questions, please fill out the short questionnaire at the end. We love to hear from you. Happy reading!
Fear Less, Do More
Summer Sports Camp 2021
If you were to ask one of Envision's many athletes or volunteers what their favorite week of the year is- they would not hesitate to say...CAMP!!
After a disappointing 2020, the Envision Blind Sports team was determined to make camp happen for our athletes and volunteers. Luckily, La Roche University took us in and helped make it a reality.
Sixty athletes participated in over 25 different sports and activities throughout the week. We had a jampacked seven days filled with competition, many laughs and TONS of fun. Every year, our team makes it a priority to add in new and different activities that our athletes may not have tried before. A new facility and accommodations gave us a chance to expand the opportunities we provide. New to the schedule this year was roller skating, a ninja warrior course, indoor rock climbing/bouldering, and opening and closing ceremonies. The talent show also made its comeback this year at camp and it was a huge hit! There was so much talent and everyone enjoyed the show.
This year we worked with our athletes to understand the role of competition in sports. The athletes also got to experience the thrill of victory while learning how to lose with dignity and respect for their competition. Each athlete earned a gold, silver or bronze medal based on the points from competitions held throughout the week. We set the bar high as we get ready to prepare for camp 2022!
Photo description: Envision Blind Sports campers and volunteers posing for a group picture in the middle of La Roche University's soccer field.
2021 Frank Barnes Memorial Golf Outing
We’d like to extend a huge THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the 2nd annual Frank Barnes Memorial Golf Outing on September 12, 2021! Guests had the chance to play games like blind putting and blind cornhole while participating in the scramble-style tournament.
CONGRATS to the 1st place team:
Ryan Wiedenhofer, Taylor Bowers, Mike Walton, and Shane Whitman
Tons of prizes - generously donated by all of our sponsors - were raffled off during dinner. A few prizes won were autographed Penguins collectibles, alcohol memorabilia, and even an entire wagon of booze!
A huge shoutout to every sponsor and donor; their generous contributions allow us to put 100% of all auction and raffle proceeds into funding our athletes and their events.
Photo description: The Barnes Family standing in front of a sunset at the Frank Barnes Memorial Golf Outing.
Photo description: 1st Place Winners standing in front of the Grove City Country Club clubhouse.
In order from left to right: Ryan Wiedenhofer, Taylor Bowers, Shane Whitman, Mike Walton
Photo description: A list of sponsors from the Frank Barnes Memorial Golf Outing.
KAYAKING
Athletes, parents, and volunteers joined together on September 26th, 2021 at Carried Away Outfitters (Greenville, PA) to float 8 miles down the Shenango River. For 4 hours we paddled through rocks, trees, and many other obstacles with smiles from ear to ear!
A wonderful way to finish out the summer season!
Photo description: Athletes, parents, and volunteers before kayaking at Carried Away Outfitters.
CALAhAN yOUNG
CALAhAN yOUNG
My Paralympic journey started when I was 13 years old, where I was introduced to goalball while attending a summer camp at Envision Blind Sports. This organization hosted countless events that helped me grow socially, physically, and mentally. I attended their annual summer camp for five years, and still try to be a role model for other blind/visually impaired members by still attending as many events as I can!
Goalball is a team sport specifically designed for people that are blind/visually impaired. This was the first team sport I was exposed to that offered me an equal opportunity to excel and become the athlete I knew I could be.
Since my introduction to goalball, I have made it my goal to become a Paralympic athlete, competing on the biggest stage, against the best players and countries in the world!
Through the help of my family, friends, coaches, and Envision Blind Sports, I finally attended my first Paralympic games. I worked on this goal for over 13 years, and now that I am a Proud Paralympian, I am going to continue to push myself and those around me to accomplish their goals and keep setting new ones that push them to achieve success in life! I would have never had this drive in life if it were not for the great role models that continuously gave to me throughout my time at Envision Blind Sports!
Photo description: Calahan Young holding a goalball in his USA Paralympic goalball uniform.
Photo description:
Jeanelle and Roy Kaminske together smiling.
Photo description:
Susann and David Valenza together smiling.
Kaminske and Valenza Family
Kaminske and Valenza Family
David and Susann Valenza are avid supporters of Envision Blind Sports. They have been excited to watch the organization grow over the 11 years they have lived in Mercer County. In honor of Susann’s parents, Jeanelle and Roy Kaminske, the couple has worked with Envision to provide resources for summer camp and on-going programs.
Susann said, "My parents believed in the transformative power of education. They gave countless hours and financial support to programs dedicated to helping youth learn and embrace new skills. We are proud to honor their legacy by supporting the exceptional learning opportunities provided by Envision".
Words cannot express how grateful the Envision Blind Sports team is for the Kaminske Valenza Family. A big part of our success this year is due to their generosity and support. Not only do they donate financially, you can find them volunteering at many of our fundraising and programing events. Their daughter Angelina, is also a veteran camp counselor and returns every year to support our athletes.
On behalf of the Envision Family, thank you for your continuous support of our mission!
Mason Semnisky
Mason Semnisky
My name is Mason Semnisky and I have been an athlete and volunteer with Envision Blind Sports for over 10 years. My first event with Envision was the summer sports camp in 2011. I cannot describe the joy I felt being able to have the opportunity to try and be success in sports with individuals just like me. My time with Envision has influenced my career path and I am currently attending Slippery Rock University majoring in Special Education Transition Programming and minoring in Adapted Physical Activity.
I volunteer with Envision and never miss an event because I know the impact this organization can have on a child, especially the summer sports camp. Every summer I look forward to volunteering as a counselor because it is the highlight of my year. I know firsthand the importance of the relationship between a counselor and an athlete. As a counselor with a visual impairment, I feel that I can relate and understand the needs of our athletes. This enables me to build connections and support the athletes due to personal experience.
At this years camp, I was honored to receive the 2021 Counselor of the Year Award. This award is named in honor of Frank Barnes who I knew and respected. He was an amazing role model and idol to many or our athletes and counselors. I looked up to Frank so much because he had a visual impairment just like me and never let it define him. I know how much of an impact he had on me as an athlete and I want to be the same for our current and future athletes. This is why it means so much to me to receive this award in his honor. I plan on continuing to live up to this award and make Frank proud.
Photo Description: Mason Semnisky standing with Wendy Fagan and Shelly Barnes at the closing ceremonies of camp.
Fall Clinic Recap
Envision Blind Sports held its fall 2021 sports clinic on October 23rd at Slippery Rock University. A total of 23 athletes attended the event and were able to participate in over five different sports and activities. Envision athletes also had the opportunity to try out a new sport - Lacrosse! The SRU women's Lacrosse team taught our athletes about the game and it was a huge success. Thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers for your help and dedication to make each event an awesome experience for our athletes!
Coughlin's Law Recap
After being delayed in March 2020 due to Covid-19, Envision was finally about to reschedule our fundraising event at Coughlin's Law in Mount Washington Pittsburgh on December 2, 2021. This was our first fundraising event in Pittsburgh and we were thrilled with the turnout! The goal was to help increase awareness of what we do in the Pittsburgh area, and we were so grateful to see some familiar faces while meeting some new ones too! The night was filled with good food, drinks, fun games and prizes. Thanks again to the wonderful staff at Coughlin's Law for an amazing event!
Photo description: Wendy Fagan sitting on a paddle board in the water with an Envision athlete.
Hello Envision Family and Friends,
Welcome back to the second edition of The Vision – a newsletter to highlight updates from the Envision Blind Sports staff, athletes, volunteers and sponsors. As most of you are aware, a lot has happened since our last issue.
The biggest news of 2021 was reinstating our overnight summer sports camp. Jillian put together a fantastic schedule of over 25 sports for our 60+ athletes and countless full and part time volunteers. She was assisted by Anthony Pisano, our summer intern. They adjusted to our new location, LaRoche College and pulled off a fantastic “Paralympic” themed camp.
I personally feel that one of the highlights of camp this year was the increased emphasis on the joy of competing in sports. The camp was designed so that each athlete could earn points through multiple individual and team competitions to earn gold, silver or bronze medals. Our goal was to teach each athlete how to win and how to lose while enjoying the thrill of competitive sports.
One of the goals of our organization is to provide all athletes the opportunity to engage in multiple sports and physical activity. Some are recreationally based, while others focus on competition. We want to empower our athletes so they can go back into their community and schools and be part of their local physical activity and sport opportunities. We love that the athletes come to our events, but want to make sure that we educate and empower them to go back to their home district and get involved locally.
As we bring in the New Year, I want to share with you how thankful I am for everyone who contributes to Envision Blind Sports – the parents, the volunteers, our sponsors, and especially our athletes. I hope everyone has a wonderful 2022!
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