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Enchanted Hills Camp

LightHouse News

LightHouse Featured in the New York Times

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Image of blindfolded person with light shining on its face. Image by Brian Stauffer.LightHouse student Eleanor Lew writes in the New York Times about her experience with our Changing Vision Changing Life Immersion Program for people who are new to low vision or blindness. It shows the impact the program has on our students’ lives.

Read Eleanor’s article, “Travelers in the Dark”

Would you or someone you know benefit from Changing Vision Changing Life?
Our week-long sessions are now being offered at Enchanted Hills Retreat in Napa and also soon, at our new headquarters (with dormitories) in San Francisco.

During the Immersion, up to 14 students come together in an intensive and immersive week of learning skills, sharing stories, exchanging solutions and supporting each other. Because learning takes time, commitment and development of new skills and sensitivities, this week provides our students the opportunity to become acquainted with essential skills that support their journey to independence and confident living. Students focus on a variety of training including orientation and mobility, tech training, cooking and daily living skills.

We have several Changing Vision Changing Life sessions coming up the next few months:
April 4th through 8th
June 12th through 17th
July 11th through  July 15th (for Spanish speakers)
For more information, contact Debbie Bacon at 415-694-7357 or dbacon@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

LightHouse News

Woodworking Intensive with George Wurtzel

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George Wurtzel teaches student Brian Buhrow how to cut wood.Join expert carpenter George Wurtzel at an encore workshop for both beginners and experienced woodworkers.

This class will cover wood turning, hand tool work and an introduction to power tools. We’ll learn how to measure accurately without sight, using click rules, gauge blocks, Vernier calipers and talking tape measures. We’ll talk about wood types and construction techniques and learn when to glue, when to nail and when to use screws. We’ll also touch on finishing techniques.

Who: Adults 21 and older who are eager to learn woodworking
Where: Enchanted Hills Camp
When: Thursday, March 17 through Sunday, March 20, 2016
Cost: $300.00 plus $40.00 for transportation
Class is limited to six participants, so sign up now.

To sign up for this special workshop, contact Camp Director Tony Fletcher at tfletcher@old.lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7319 for an application or with any questions.

LightHouse News

Calling 16 to 24-Year-Olds – Become a Counselor in Training at Enchanted Hills Camp

Counselors at Enchanted Hills Camp teach young campers to fish.The LightHouse is looking for youth who are blind or have low vision to come to Enchanted Hills this summer for some work experience.

The Enchanted Hills Camp Counselor in Training Program (CIT) focuses on developing blind/low vision leaders in an integrated environment through job exploration and work based learning experiences. Training takes place through discussion, observation and practice under the supervision of the administrative staff at camp. Most importantly a successful applicant will developed a strong work ethic that they can apply to any leadership experience.

This program is designed for blind participants or participants with low vision who are 16-24 old and are serious about improving their leadership skills by learning to work with children and/or adults in a rigorous camp setting. The importance in this training program is the hands on experience CITs will gain by working with campers and with the EHC counseling staff. CITs, upon completion of the Enchanted Hills Camp CIT program, will be better prepared to work with adults, their peers and children of all ages, interests, and abilities. Participants will also walk away with self-advocacy skills, increased social and independent living skills, plus new friendships. We encourage applicants with a variety of previous camping experiences to apply.

CITs are registered as campers and therefore receive no financial compensation. Food, lodging and bus transportation from our pick-up sites are provided at no cost. Space is limited and interviews will be conducted to choose the best possible candidates for the program.

Expectations of CITs

  • Adhere to the policies established in the Staff Handbook
  • Be a positive role-model for campers
  • Communicate blindness-positive philosophy
  • Demonstrate independent travel skills
  • Demonstrate a strong work ethic
  • Develop conflict resolution skills
  • Develop leadership skills
  • Meet daily with supervisor in a group setting for evaluation
  • Provide a safe and healthy environment for campers
  • Read from suggested best practices reading list prior to summer assignment
  • Support the mission of the camp

 CIT Responsibilities

  • Assist counselors and Area Leaders with management of campers
  • Promote Independence
  • Motivate campers to use non-visual techniques
  • Participate in the development of program activities designed specifically for blind campers.
  • Incorporate active participation in camp meals, clean up and other daily functions through fun activities
  • Communicate with staff about problems or issues that arise with campers
  • Adapt all activities so that all campers can participate fully, regardless of their level of vision
  • Work with counselors to resolve disciplinary issues that arise with campers
  • Be active participants and assist staff during specialist, program and group time
  • Assist campers in being successful with games, projects and activities
  • Facilitate independence in camper participation
  • Participate in activities with campers
  • Assist counselors and Area Leaders in enforcing rules and instructions
  • Assist in leading activities during downtime
  • Assist in the set-up and facilitation of camp events such as theme days
  • Serve as escorts for campers needing extra assistance
  • Assume additional, reasonable responsibilities as assigned by the counselors, Area Leaders and administrative team
  • HAVE FUN and BE SAFE

Deadline to Apply is April 1, 2016.

For further information about the Counselor-in-Training Program, please don’t hesitate to contact Tony Fletcher, Enchanted Hills Camp Director at 415-694-7319 or afletcher@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

LightHouse News

Are You a Vision Instructor or Other Blindness Professional? Come to Provider’s Weekend at Enchanted Hills This May

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Free to first timers!

For over 20 years the LightHouse has hosted Provider’s Weekend, our signature event where teachers, managers, program staff and students entering the blindness field can meet and network throughout a long weekend.

Be sure to reserve May 20 to 22 now for an enlarged and far-ranging Provider’s Weekend at Enchanted Hills Retreat in Napa.

When: May 20–22, 2016
Where: Enchanted Hills Retreat
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 service providers working in the field of blindness from all over northern California, in workshops and presentations. You’ll exchange practical ideas and build a network you might not otherwise have. You might even find your next job.

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. In addition to discussing philosophies, trends and issues we face in providing services for people with visual impairments, you can enjoy boating on Lake Lakoya, trails for hiking and savory meals provided by a wonderful kitchen staff. You’ll learn from your peers, relax in a natural setting with many educational and recreational opportunities. And it’s not unheard of to find a drop or two of Napa wine from the neighborhood, too.

Special Incentive for First Time Attendees!
As a special incentive for first-time attendees of Provider’s Weekend – 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.

So mark your calendars now and reserve space before it’s gone. We expect with the flood of new faces we’ll fill all available cabins well before May.

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

LightHouse News

Buy Tickets Now to the VIBES2: Just for Fun! Fundraiser to Support LightHouse Music Academy

Armando's logoEnjoy good food, live music and entertainment by blind performers, plus a fabulous raffle and auction at Joyce Cid’s VIBES2: Just for Fun! Event. (VIBES stands for Visually Impaired and Blind Entertainment Sunday.)

When: Sunday, April 3, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Where: Armando’s, 707 Marina Vista, Martinez CA 94553, (925) 228-6985

Come hungry – Roxx on Main will be providing food for purchase.

All proceeds to benefit Music Academy at Enchanted Hills Camp. Purchase tickets to VIBES.

To donate raffle and auction items, contact Joyce Cid at (925) 372-7632 or Tosha Davis at (925) 818-1687. To learn more about the event, please contact Megara Vogl at (415) 694-7335 or mvogl@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

About Music Academy
Music Academy at Enchanted Hills Camp for the Blind is a 10-day summer workshop for serious blind musicians to take their music to the next level, meet other blind musicians, learn to read, write and record music accessibly, and how to be a success in the field of music.

Read more about Music Academy.

Music Academy draws young motivated blind and musicians with low vision from around the nation. Donate to support Music Academy.

Joyce Cid

LightHouse News

Enchanted Hills Camp for the Blind 2016 Sessions – Sign Up at Noon on February 1

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Young camper walks with a counselor down a peaceful path surrounded by green trees and a white picket fence at Enchanted Hills Camp.Enchanted Hills Camp Applications are Available Beginning at Noon on February 1
Starting in the spring and on through summer we’ll be offering new and familiar camp programs to educate and delight. We’re bringing back the special sessions you love like Horse Camp, Woodworking Camp and an extended Music Academy. Below is a quick list of this year’s sessions. Click here for details on each session.

Enchanted Hills Camp Sessions for 2016
Chemistry Camp – March 18 to March 20
Cycle for Sight – April 16
Providers Weekend – May 20 to May 22
Family Camp I – June 9 to June 12
Youth Leadership Training – June 13 to 17
Blind Babies Family Camp – June 17 to June 19
Deaf-Blind Camp (Adult) – June 19 to June 24
Adult Session – June 25 to June 30
Adults with Developmental Disability Session – July 1 to July 6
Family Camp II – July 7 to July 10
Youth Session (3rd through 8th grade) – July 11 to July 17
Teen Session (9th through 12th grade) – July 21 to July 30
Horse Camp – August 1 to August 7
Woodworking Camp – August 1 to 7
Music Academy – August 1 to August 10
Family Camp III – August 11 to August 14

LightHouse News

Are You a Musician that is Blind or With Low Vision? Fine-tune Your Craft at Music Academy

1 Commenton Are You a Musician that is Blind or With Low Vision? Fine-tune Your Craft at Music Academy

Music Academy students Travis Nichols (left) plays electric guitar and Ben Blatchford on keyboards.Do you sing or play an instrument? Train with some of our nation’s best teachers at our summer Music Academy at Enchanted Hills Camp.

“I had a lot of fun this year meeting new people and my experience at EHC was camp was great. Really awesome to meet all of you and to rock out and jam with all of you guys. Everyone who came this year must come next year. We need to get more people in our jam sessions. We killed it up there on stage, we absolutely killed it! EHC is the place to be!”
-Participant Ben Blatchford

The LightHouse will partner for a third year with Dancing Dots, the world’s leading provider of accessible music technology for the blind, to bring our summertime Music Academy back to the redwoods. The Academy is open to young, motivated musicians who are blind or low vision who are 16 to 24 years old.

Music Academy is open to young musicians from all over the world.

New This Year – Music Academy has Expanded to a 10-Day Session
Feedback for our first two sessions has been overwhelmingly positive and our students want more. So we’ve expanded the session from seven to ten days.

The first seven days of the session will take place at Enchanted Hills Camp and include two opportunities to perform for Napa residents. Then students will be transported to the new LightHouse Building at 1155 Market Street for continued training plus the chance to see professional musical performances in various genres such as jazz, classical and rock. Students will meet local musicians and mentors while enjoying the vibrant music scene found in San Francisco. They’ll also train on our multi-media, state-of-the-art technology. All students will get the chance to perform at a showcase concert in the LightHouse Building on Tuesday, August 9.

Lead instructor Bill McCann and student Jenna Baylis work with adaptive software for composition during Blind Music Academy.

Where: Enchanted Hills Camp, Napa and the LightHouse Building, San Francisco
When: August 1 through August 10, 2016
Cost for the week, all-inclusive: $300
(If the registration fee is a barrier, let us know; some scholarships will be available.)

Bill McCann, President and Founder of Dancing Dots, will spend the entire session with the aspiring musicians. McCann, blind himself, will lead a team of four blind instructors and technicians to teach the latest and greatest techniques for blind and low vision students.

“It’s rather bittersweet to be back home after an amazing week of Music Academy at EHC. Met so many awesome people and had an overall great experience. Definitely going back next summer. Yesterday’s concert went very well and everyone performed really good and were at the top of they’re game. Shout out to the kitchen crew as well for delivering great meals throughout camp. Bummed that it all ended so quickly, but stoked to see everyone again next year.”
-Participant Daniel Cavazos

To sign up for Music Academy, contact Taccarra Burrell at 451-694-7310 or ehc@old.lighthouse-sf.org or go to the Enchanted Hills page on our website.

LightHouse News

Registration Now Open for the Biggest, Best Bicycle Ride of 2016

Cycle for Sight riders on a tandem bicycleRegistration is now open for the Napa Rotary’s Cycle for Sight 2016 ride which will be held on Saturday, April 16.

Cycle for Sight boasts more than 2,000 riders and provides the single biggest fundraiser for Enchanted Hills Camp for the Blind. Don’t be left out. Come join the largest and most fun group of tandem riders in Northern California to have some fun, get some exercise and support EHC’s life-changing programs. Sign up at www.cycle4sight.com to ride as a cyclist for Team LightHouse and enjoy the beauty of scenic Napa and the challenge of a 15, 25 or 50 mile route with 2,000 other cyclists.

Raise pledges for every mile you ride through the Cycle for Sight website or donate directly to support Enchanted Hills.

Be sure to designate “Team LightHouse” when you register.

During the festival enjoy wine tasting from Napa Valley wineries, beer tasting from local microbreweries and local cuisine from Napa Valley restaurants, all while listening and dancing to the timeless pop/soul of “Pride and Joy”.

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.

LightHouse News

High School Students — Get Ready for Reactions at Chemistry Camp 2016

Students watch a chemistry experiment during Chemistry Camp.Would you like to learn how blind people tackle the visual subject of organic chemistry successfully? Do you have a general love for science? Do you want to learn how you can do chemistry as a blind person just as successfully as your sighted peers? Are you interested in how blind professionals use science in their careers every day? If the answer to any of these is “Yes!” then the 2016 Chemistry Camp is for you.

Join the LightHouse, Accessible Science and Credo High School for an educational, exciting, and fun-filled weekend of hands-on science.

When: Friday, March 18, 2016 through Sunday, March 20, 2016.
Where: Enchanted Hills Camp, 3410 Mt Veeder Rd, Napa, CA 94558
Who: Up to twelve legally blind high school students will be selected to participate. Don’t hesitate to apply if you are in middle school or just out of high school. We do make exceptions.
Cost: There is no cost to apply for the program.
For more information and to apply, visit: http://www.accessiblescience.org/chemistrycamp.

Questions? Email Angela Fowler at angela.fowler@accessiblescience.org.

Funded in part by American Honda Foundation.

LightHouse News

Got Talent? Audition by February 1 for the April VIBES Variety Show and Help Raise Money to send Kids to the Enchanted Hills Music Academy

Friend of the LightHouse, Joyce Cid, is organizing another one of her stellar fundraisers to raise money for scholarships to Enchanted Hills. This year all proceeds will go to scholarships for our summer Music Academy. The event will feature talented musicians (and other performers) from around the Bay Area.

Are you a blind musician, comedian or other entertainer? To audition to be part of the show, email Joyce Cid (jcid@sbcglobal.net) a link to a video or audio clip showcasing your talent. Deadline for submissions is February 1.

Tickets to this event will go on sale in the spring. In addition to the entertainment on stage, there will also be tempting food options and alluring silent auction and raffle prizes. Whether you attend as a performer on stage or as an adoring fan of our blind talent, please plan to join us for this special event.

What: V.I.B.E.S. (Visually Impaired and Blind Entertainment Sunday), a fundraiser benefiting Enchanted Hills Camp for the Blind, a program of the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Audition Deadline: Monday, February 1.
When: The show will be on Sunday, April 3, 2016, 1 to 4 pm
Where: Armando’s in Martinez http://www.armandosmartinez.com/

For more information about Music Academy, see this recent article on the program.