‘Fool’ around the pool for a bright cause
The swim teacher says we have so much to learn from the visually impaired.
THE April Pool Day Swimathon, in aid of Bright Eyes Trust, is looking for swimmers to join the initiative on April 1 at Crawford International La Lucia.
The idea is thanks to Amber Kilfoil, of Swim Umhlanga, who is vested in visually impaired children after teaching one of them how to swim.
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“I met Cathryn from Bright Eyes when she brought her children to me for swimming lessons. She also gave me the most amazing opportunity to work with a child in the pool who was completely blind, and from there, my respect for these children grew. We have so much to learn from people with impaired vision, and to see the smile on their faces when they have achieved something no one thought was possible is the best feeling in the world,” said Kilfoil.
Growing up, Kilfoil came from a sporty family, and although she took part in many sports, she found that her passions were water polo, lifesaving and surfing.
“Being surrounded by water my whole life, I wanted to find a way to share my passion and pass on my knowledge. I’ve always had a knack for coaching children, bringing myself down to their level, getting them to trust in me, and from there, the job is done. I teach children of all abilities and also those with special needs,” she added.
“The idea of the swimathon was to firstly expose some of my swimmers to something a little different, for some friendly competition and having fun while we were at it. I’ve always wanted to do a fundraising event, and it was a no-brainer involving Bright Eyes and the amazing work they do. The community we live in is always willing to lend a helping hand so I approached Crawford College La Lucia, and they were happy to come on board to let us use their venue,” she said.
“We are also holding a special blind race for anyone who would like to come and challenge themselves to some blackout goggles and get from one side to the other, racing against some of the visually impaired from Bright Eyes,” said Kilfoil.
Cathryn Aylett, who is the coordinator for Bright Eyes Trust, said they are hoping to raise the funds that will go towards the education of visually impaired children for Term Two.
“We are so thankful to Amber for coming forward to fundraise for us. It has taken an enormous load off our shoulders in the fundraising department. Amber has shown that volunteers can use the things they love and are passionate about to support our NPO. We are so excited to host April Pool Day alongside Amber and work towards keeping the education of visually impaired young children afloat,” she said.
The fundraiser starts at 08.30 and ends at noon, where there will be individual and team events. For more information, visit https://brighteyestrust.co.za/
How it works:
1. Complete the registration form.
2. Print off the pledge form and encourage your friends and family to pledge an amount towards your laps. They could sponsor your 30 minutes as a whole or pay per lap.
3. On the day, each swimmer or team will be allocated a 30-minute slot in a dedicated lane to complete as many laps as they can. Get creative. Four people could swim a relay, or you could use a kicker board to maximise your laps.
4. Your laps will be totalled on the day and a receipt issued for the pledges to be claimed.
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