Danielle Paul

Ten-year-old Danielle Paul from Hamilton is a team player who loves being active – be it sports or outdoor recreation.

The Nawton Primary School student, who has spina bifida, almost missed out on her school camp because she didn’t have a support person to help her complete activities.

Fortunately, she received an AllSports Activity Fund for the required support and was extremely excited to finally be off to camp where she was able to experience activities such as kayaking, swimming, BMX, archery and pistol shooting.

Being able to attend camp was a dream come true for the energetic youngster and as a result, not only was Danielle able to feel a sense of belonging with her peers, she was awarded a sense of achievement and independence for partaking in the camp physical activities.

“I was able to play spotlight on the field,” says Danielle. “It was really brilliant.”

Halberg Disability Sport Adviser, Dave MacCalman, who helped Danielle’s family apply for the Activity Fund, was extremely happy that the fun-loving youngster was given the chance to try new sports with her friends at camp.

“Danielle is a real fun person to be around,” says Dave. “She has a great zest for life and will give most things a go.”

With her school camp a great success, Danielle has grown in confidence and in April, she attended the Halberg Junior Disability Games where she was able compete in a variety of sports and proudly represented the Waikato region against other physically disabled young athletes from around the country, and while at the Games, Danielle’s team spirit also saw her featured on popular children’s show ‘What Now’ during a live cross to the event.