Amiel is a bright and bubbly girl of 13. She loves Cahoots camps, especially the bus rides and her parents love them too because the camps allow them to have respite and provide Amiel with new opportunities and social interaction. Unfortunately, sending Amiel on the camps she needs, comes at a great cost to her family who often go without to make the ends meet.
Amiel has Autism and is non-verbal. Her father, Trent runs a business and is her full time carer. She can be very impulsive and display poor behaviour at times. She also only sleeps between 20 minutes and two hours per night which makes everything else a little bit harder.
“I really think she also enjoys the break from me. It’s hard being the parent of a special needs kid but it must drive them crazy having people looking over their shoulder 24/7. Some of Amiel’s challenging behaviour can be caused by her sensory seeking. I believe the camps meet a lot of her sensory needs.”
Amiel has been going to Cahoots camps for a couple of years now. She gets integration in the community, which she needs because some days she won’t leave the house. She also gets some social interaction with other kids that she might otherwise miss out on.
“Cahoots have been so good to us. When they advised me that a group of people were going to raise funds for Amiel to help her attend more camps I actually couldn’t believe it. I’m still overwhelmed by the kindness shown to us. We are potentially in the position where we might not be able to send Amiel on camp again until next year. Any little bit that contributes to helping pay for an extra camp for Amiel makes a huge difference to my family. We are unbelievably thankful for the offer of support.”
“…I get too teary when I think about it. Just that the smallest amount of help for our family can seem to us like the difference between heaven and hell. That’s how huge a difference any support can make to our lives.”
4 BRAVE PEOPLE ARE TAKING THE PLUNGE FOR AMIEL – You can support them and make a difference by donating today! MAKE A DONATION
