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LightHouse News

LightHouse News

New Talking Clock Also Tells Temperature

Now available at Adaptations, the affordable Sleek Talking Clock measures 5 inches by 3 inches by 1 inch, with a 4 inch jumbo large print LCD display, an alarm and a 12 or 24 hour format. Unlike other clocks of this type it lets you know the temperature in either Celsius or Fahrenheit. The time is spoken in a crisp clear voice. You can purchase this very handy device for $10.00.

Sale – 2014 Large Print Wall Calendar
If you haven’t picked up a 2014 Large Print Wall Calendar, now is your chance! The 2014 Large Print Wall calendars are on sale during the month of April for only $7.00, while supplies last.

Only the LightHouse stocks these hard-to-find products in our hands-on store. Call us at (888) 400-8933 for questions about these and other products. Adaptations is open at LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Sleek Talking Clock

LightHouse News

Return to the Sun, Warmth and Friendship of Enchanted Hills Camp

Our Family Camp sessions are almost full, but we still have room in our Youth sessions, Adult sessions and our Music Academy. Many campers set their calendars for the beginning of February, when the LightHouse starts taking reservations and deposits for our summer sessions. Last year our sessions were so popular they sold out well in advance. With our new online reservation system, signup is quicker and easier than ever.

Click here to learn more about our sessions and how to apply.

LightHouse News

Blind Vintner David Hunt Speaks at LightHouse Extravaganza of the Senses

Last month the LightHouse hosted an expansive gathering of very special supporters and their guests for a fun pairing of food and philanthropy that helped us raise 10K for life changing classes. Both old and newcomers to the LightHouse enjoyed wines from Hunt cellars, desserts from around the world, uniquely flavored olive oils and cheeses and baked goods prepared by a LightHouse client. Attendees who purchases VIP tickets had the opportunity to participate in a private wine and food pairing with blind vintner David Hunt, owner of Hunt cellars.

The LightHouse would like to thank all our auction and raffle participants. Our very special Live Auction raised money to pay for braille scholarships so that three blind people can be granted the gift of literacy, a technology scholarship so that a blind person can learn skills essential for acquiring a job and a Changing Vision Changing Life Immersion Retreat scholarship where a blind person can learn, network and thrive during an intensive week-long retreat.

Be sure to check out our Facebook album containing a few photos from the event.

Vintner David Hunt at podiumBottles of wine available during our Silent Auction

 

 

LightHouse News

Intensive Blind Music Academy at Enchanted Hills in August 2014

Deadline to Sign Up is April 30!

Enchanted Hills Camp in Napa, California is offering a brand new Music Academy for blind and visually impaired musicians. The Academy is open to blind musicians ages 14 to 25. The session is led by Dancing Dots founder Bill McCann. If you are a serious blind musician or are thinking of entering the profession, this academy will introduce you to new ways you can write down your own music, read the works of others, and gain the capacity necessary to compete for and win employment in the music field. Session runs from August 3 through August 9, 2014.

Find out more about our Music Academy.

(l to r) Counselor Matt Beard playing guitar to young campers Lochlan and Nick

LightHouse News

Last Chance to Sign Up for Cycle for Sight 2014

Our spring ride is a signature event with more than 2,000 riders providing the single biggest support for Enchanted Hills Camp. Come join the largest and most fun group of tandem riders in Northern California to have some fun while doing good…Sign up at www.cycle4sight.com as a cyclist for Team LightHouse and enjoy the beauty of Napa and the challenge of a 15, 25 or 50 mile route with 2,000 other cyclists. After the ride partake in wine tasting from Napa Valley wineries, beer tasting from local microbreweries and local cuisine from Napa Valley restaurants, all while grooving to the sounds of “Pride and Joy”.

When: Saturday, April 26, 2014. The first ride starts at 8:00 a.m.
Where: Starts at Justin Siena High School, 4026 Maher Street, Napa

Pilots and Blind Stokers Wanted for our April 26 Rally
Are you interested in piloting a tandem bike for a blind stoker? Or are you a blind stoker in need of a pilot? Contact Tony Fletcher via email at afletcher@old.lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7319 to join Team LightHouse today.

Proceeds support Enchanted Hills Camp for the Blind. Raise pledges for every mile you ride through the Cycle for Sight website. To meet Sergio Lopez, Jack Veliquette and other members of Team LightHouse go to www.lbvi.staging.wpengine.com.com/donate/cycleforsight.

Thank you to our wonderful Cycle for Sight 2014 sponsors!

Cotati Food Service
R.V. Kuhns & Associates, Inc.
Earthclean Building Maintenance

LightHouse News

Enchanted Hills Camp for the Blind is Hiring!

Enchanted Hills is hiring camp counselors for the summer sessions for blind campers. For 64 years Enchanted Hills Camp for the Blind has hosted hundreds of blind California youth and adults in summertime camp sessions. Sprawling across 311 idyllic acres on Mt. Veeder in Napa, Enchanted Hills Camp is a place for blind children to explore and create, gain courage, try new things, learn about the environment and make lifelong friends. The wooded camp offers all the usual summertime activities from swimming to horseback riding, from sports to art. But beyond the fun is a powerful agenda – to increase the self-confidence and self-respect of campers who may often have no other time in the year to meet blind friends and role models who are successful and living an actualized life.

Camp runs from June 23 through August 3. If you are interested in having a fun filled summer at a storied camp, applications are now available. Let us hear from you soon. For further information contact Tony Fletcher, Enchanted Hills Camp Director at (415) 694-7319 or afletcher@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

Camp Counselors and Staff

LightHouse News

Thank You to our Supporters!

New Funders to LightHouse for the Blind
Bud Davis Construction
Delong Sweet Family Foundation
Genentech – A Member of the Roche Group
George Lucas Family Foundation

Thank you to Roche/Genentech for a grant to support our Changing Vision Changing Life Immersion Retreat at Enchanted Hills and all of our specialized training in accessible technology, cooking and other blindness skills. Thank you to the George Lucas Foundation for sponsoring Superfest International Disability Film Festival. Many thanks to the Delong-Sweet Family Foundation which is funding the replacement and repair of the septic system at Enchanted Hills and has made possible the installation of 37 brand new low-flow toilets at camp. We were wasting so much water with our antiquated fixtures; these new toilets will cut water use during the peak summer season in half! Finally, a big thank you to Bud Davis Construction who provided pro bono installation of low-flow toilets and on-demand water heaters at camp.

Cole Hardware Customers Give to the LightHouse
Julia Strzesieski of Cole Hardware, former LightHouse Board president Gil Johnson with his dog guide Harley pose with a generous contribution for the LightHouse. LightHouse was selected as the beneficiary of Cole Hardware’s “Spare Change Program” for February 2014. Thank you to community minded Cole Hardware and its generous customers!

(l to r) Julia Strzesieski, Gil Johnson and Gil's dog guide Harley

LightHouse News

Newly Appointed DOR Director Joe Xavier to Appear at Providers Weekend 2014

1 Commenton Newly Appointed DOR Director Joe Xavier to Appear at Providers Weekend 2014

Always Free to First-Timers!

The Bay Area’s warmest and most-connected gathering of teachers, tech trainers, O&Mers, TVIs, employment professionals, program managers and others in the blindness field will soon gather in the LightHouse’s signature event, Provider’s Weekend. The enlarged and far-ranging  get-together is set for May 16 to 18 at Enchanted Hills Retreat in Napa. For nearly 20 years the LightHouse has hosted this special event as the one place in the Bay Area where blindness professionals  can meet and network throughout a long weekend.

Joe Xavier to Appear
Among the guest participants will be Joe Xavier, newly-appointed Director of the California Department of Rehabilitation. Joe will lead a discussion entitled “What the Blindness Field Isn’t Talking About”.

When: May 16 to 18, 2014
Where: Enchanted Hills Retreat, 3410 Mt. Veeder Road, Napa
Cost: $100.00 (free for first-time participants)

May is the perfect month to swim in our heated pool, meet others in the warm evening around the campfire, and wrestle with bigger questions that take a bit more time than available around the office water cooler. You’ll meet brand-new and experienced service providers working in the field of blindness from all over northern California. We’ll offer both structured workshops and presentations as well  as open-ended time for connection and community building. You may build a network you might not otherwise have. You might even find your next job.

Attendees will have the opportunity to stay in a lakeside cabin, the lodge or one of our fully accessible cabins next to the dining hall. The cost for the weekend, including all meals, is $100.00. And new for this year is a special incentive for first-time  participants – have the weekend on us. The free retreat is the least we can do to honor those who are helping shape the blindness field across northern California.

In addition to discussing philosophies, trends and issues we face in providing services for people with visual impairments, you can enjoy the heated swimming pool, a lake for boating, trails for hiking and savory meals provided by a wonderful kitchen staff. You’ll learn from your peers, relax in a natural setting, see our new Redwood Grove theater, maybe even play some music together. And it’s not unheard of to find a drop or two of Napa wine from the neighborhood, too.

So mark your calendars now and reserve space before it’s gone. We already have several dozen reservations in unprecedentedly-early and we expect with the flood of new faces that we’ll fill all available cabins well before May.

For information and reservations contact Tony Fletcher at 415-694-7319 or afletcher@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

Joe Xavier speaks to attendee at the 2011 LightHouse Employment Summit

LightHouse News

“Becoming a Strong Leader”

LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired in San Francisco is proud to present the third installment of its Future Leaders series with Transition Summit 2014: Becoming a Strong Leader. Adhering to our 4T Philosophy: THINK, TRAIN, TRANSFORM, and THRIVE, LightHouse’s Youth Services Program is once again offering this intensive three day workshop to blind and low vision youth and young adults between the ages of 16-25 who are enrolled with the Department of Rehabilitation.

Building upon skills and concepts introduced at Transition Summits 2012 and 2013, this exciting three-day workshop at our beautiful Enchanted Hills Camp promises to be another enriching and educational experience for anyone interested in learning the skills necessary for vocational, academic, and personal success. Participants will explore, discuss, and engage in a wide variety of fun, yet meaningful and relevant interactive activities covering such topics as: leadership, management, supervision, ethics, strategic planning, advanced problem solving and critical thinking skills, advanced interpersonal skills, mentoring and more. Transition Summit 2014 is an important event you don’t want to miss!

**Applications from prospective candidates are currently being screened. Priority will be given to participants who attended Transition Summits 2012 and 2013. However, previous attendance is not a prerequisite to apply. Space is going fast with only 10 slots still available.

When: Friday, April 11th through Sunday, April 13st 2014.
Where: Enchanted Hills Camp in Napa, California.
Cost: There is no cost to apply for the summit, however; a referral and authorization from your Department of Rehabilitation counselor will need to be submitted with your application. Individuals who are not Department of Rehabilitation clients may apply for a scholarship.

For more information please contact: Jamey Gump, Youth Services Coordinator, at jgump@old.lighthouse-sf.org, or (415) 694-7372.