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Enchanted Hills Camp

Get your calendars – the countdown to open enrollment at EHC begins. Starting in the spring and on through summer we’ll be offering new and familiar camp programs to educate and delight. Applications will be available online at 12 noon on February 1.

We’re bringing back the special sessions you love like Horse Camp, Music Academy and Woodworking Camp. 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
Youth Leaders Summit – April 1 to April 3
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
Staff Training June 20 to 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 (3^rd through 8^th grade) – July 11 to July 17
Teen Session (9^th through 12^th grade) – July 21 to July 30
Horse Camp – August 1 to August 6
Woodworking Camp – August 1 to 6
Music Academy – August 1 to August 10
Family Camp III – August 11 to August 14
Deaf-Blind Camp (Adult) August 14 to August 18

LightHouse News

This Weekend, Life is a Cabaret: Join us on January 9 and 10 for the Annual Great American Songbook Benefit

01/04/2016 LightHouse Staff

Portrait of Anne and Steve Gill The Gill Family, with the help of fabulously talented Menlo School students, alumni and faculty continue their tradition of special concerts in honor of their daughter Anne, a longtime Enchanted Hills camper. This year the two concerts explore the work of the highly successful songwriting team John Kander and Fred Ebb, best known for musicals Cabaret, Chicago and Fosse as well as the iconic song (known to many of us as a signature piece for Frank Sinatra) New York, New York.

What: Life is a Cabaret: An Evening with Kander and Ebb
When: Two Performances – Saturday, January 9 and Sunday January 10, 7:30 p.m.
Where: The Spieker Ballroom at the Menlo School, 50 Valparaiso Ave., Atherton 94027
$15 donation requested. Seating is on a first come, first seated basis
All proceeds benefit our Enchanted Hills Camp Special Needs Session

For more information contact Steve or Nancy Gill at (650) 948-4648 or nancyggill@yahoo.com.

LightHouse News

Outdoor Educators Learn the Ropes at Enchanted Hills Retreat

12/02/2015 LightHouse Staff

In November members of the Outdoor Educators Institute (OEI) visited Enchanted Hills for a two-day training to learn more about how to adapt outdoor recreation activities to include the blind community. We provided instruction on human guide technique, myths and facts about blindness and philosophy of inclusion. Participants had a chance to meet with LightHouse Board and staff on issues of accessibility and discuss best ways to instruct blind students.

“We learned so much this weekend. Thank you to Enchanted Hills Camp and LightHouse for the Blind – San Francisco Bay Area for showing us how you create access to the ‪#‎outdoorsforALL”
-from the OEI Facebook page

Enchanted Hills Camp Director Tony Fletcher said, “I was extremely impressed by the enthusiasm and competence demonstrated by the students. The opportunity for Enchanted Hills Camp to partner with OEI, gave both our organizations the chance to build a partnership that will truly benefit the blind community in inclusive outdoor education.”

An OEI student explores a tree carving tactilely.

The Outdoor Educators Institute provides a 3-month long professional and workforce development program training the next generation of outdoor leaders. Their leadership training includes wilderness backpacking, sea kayaking, ropes course facilitation, environmental education, group management, professional skills, conservation skills, and equity, diversity, and inclusion trainings.

Are you looking for a retreat setting for your company training or other group outing? Please call us at (415) 694-7310 or learn more at www.enchantedhillsretreat.com.

In the Dining Hall at Enchanted Hills, Camp Construction Manager George Wurtzel, complete with feathered hat, takes time out to chat with members of OEI.

LightHouse News

Arm Yourself with the Tools and Attitudes to be Successful with Changing Vision

12/02/2015 LightHouse Staff 1 Comment

Many people are inspired by our Changing Vision Changing Life Session and occasionally a participant is moved to write or even compose some poetry. Here’s a recent example:

Changing Vision Changing Life
Relax, open minds, abandon fears, and trust.
Smell, hear, touch, sense, feel.
Enjoy encouraging, supportive smiles and words.
Watch skills grow as tools empower and calm.
Strategy insures safety and melts frustration.
Senses flood with rich detail, more accurate
Also more vivid than mere sight.

Through his writing, above, Changing Vision Changing Life Immersion participant Calvin James shared his thoughts and experiences of the Fall 2015 Training in Napa.

Our week-long session can truly transform the way you set your goals for effectiveness and bring you closer to knowing what you’ll need to learn so you can live the life you want. During the Immersion, you and up to 13 other students will come together in an intensive and immersive week of learning or re-learning skills, sharing your stories, exchanging solutions, supporting each other. Because learning how to do something different takes time, commitment and development of new skills and sensitivities, this week provides you the opportunity to become acquainted with a range of essential skills that support your journey to independent and confident living. The consequent desire for self-advancement and hunger to learn that participants develop in our retreats will help them dedicate the necessary time and concentration in later learning.

Our next Changing Vision Changing Life Immersion Session is in January 2016.
Where: Enchanted Hills Retreat
When: Sunday, January 31 through Friday, February 5
Full scholarships are available for persons who are not consumers of the Department of Rehabilitation and are 55 or older, living in the counties of Alameda, San Francisco and Marin.

Here’s what Changing Vision Changing Life Immersion is all about:

Changing Vision Changing Life is a week committed to YOU. It is the opportunity to learn how to take charge of living your life instead of letting your change of vision hold you and your life hostage.
Immersive training exposes you to a myriad of independent living skills and strategies; you will also receive a concentrated dose of orientation and mobility and access technology exposure.
You’ll work with our trainers in the full group, in small groups and one-to-one (as much as possible). We encourage students to learn using training shades, giving the experience of focusing on skill development through non-visual learning.
Changing Vision Changing Life is a personal commitment to having the desire and taking the time to make a change. The week is full of active participation starting as early as 7:30 in the morning with our optional Yoga class and ending at around 9:00 p.m. The days are full, incorporating time for learning, personal time for reflection and time to connect with fellow students. If you have never met another person who is blind or has low vision, he or she will be your roommate, your fellow student throughout the week, your teacher, your mentor and quite possibly your newest friend.
LightHouse staff are professionally trained and the majority of the staff is also blind or has low vision. They understand that each student’s goal in training is unique and that your journey is to be respected. All staff will help guide you toward advances in your blindness that make the most sense for you.
Part of the Changing Vision Changing Life framework is that personal acceptance, learning and embracing new skills and renewed skills take time and commitment – we expose you to the possibilities.

Group Photo of Students in the Fall 2015 CVCL Immersion session

If you’d like to attend please contact the following LightHouse staff:

San Francisco Bay Area and Alameda County, contact Debbie Bacon at 415-694-7357 or dbacon@old.lighthouse-sf.org.
Marin County contact Jeff Carlson at 415-258-8496 or jcarlson@old.lighthouse-sf.org.
Humboldt or Del Norte Counties, contact Janet Pomerantz at 707-268-5646 or jpomerantz-sf.org.

LightHouse News

Enchanted Hills Retreat – Weekends are Filling Up Fast

10/28/2015 LightHouse Staff

The dining hall at Enchanted Hills sits across from Lake Lokoya Did you know that Enchanted Hills, our historic camp for the blind and visually impaired located on Mt. Veeder in Napa, also accepts reservations for retreats, getaways and events of all sorts?

EHC is much quieter during the fall and winter months, which makes it an even more idyllic setting for escaping from the day-to-day of city living. It’s also a time when we spruce up the grounds and prepare for a new year. We’ve just demolished the old boat dock and started the project of building a new floating dock, designed to rise and fall with the water level as we work towards sustainable solutions for drought and storm months.

In other news, PG&E has just installed new power lines to wire the upper barn, meaning that George Wurtzel and his cohort of blind woodworking students will have all the energy they need to thrive during this month’s woodworking class. Last weekend, the Kiwanis Club had a BBQ to celebrate the one year anniversary of “K-Day,” their pledge to have a monthly volunteer day here at camp.

With all this, weekends are filling up fast — in fact, there are only a few weekends available for rental between January and May of 2016, and once summer hits Enchanted Hills is hopping from June through the end of September. That said, it’s always worth checking in to see if we have an opening or cancellation. Call us at (415) 694-7310 or learn more at www.enchantedhillsretreat.com.

LightHouse News

Friends and Camp Lovers Show Their Love This Fall in All Kinds of Ways

10/01/2015 LightHouse Staff

Sign designating a horse trail at Enchanted Hills This summer was an incredibly busy one at Enchanted Hills Camp and Retreat — in fact, there was hardly a day when a new group wasn’t coming or going, enjoying the natural beauty of our Napa enclave, or putting in real elbow grease to make improvements to our storied Mt. Veeder grounds. In addition to our recreation programs for youth and adult campers, we hosted Blind Babies and Families, Chemistry Camp, STEM Camp, Horse Camp, Music Academy, deaf-blind sessions, Immersion programs for adults with changing vision, sessions for adults with special needs, and so much more!

This fall, we turn our focus to beautifying the property and taking advantage of the warm weather while it lasts. In September, a volunteer group from Timberland got their hands dirty with a special volunteer retreat, and this month we’ll have the same from UPS, who are sending a group to come put in work of their own on EHC. The contributions from groups like AmeriCorps continue to yield great rewards, as Construction Manager George Wurtzel has just completed his brand new blind arts woodworking shop, announcing his first immersive class for November.

As you can imagine, Enchanted Hills is almost entirely booked for 2015 and will book up fast for next year. Don’t miss out. Support Enchanted Hills’ transformative programs for kids who are blind by reserving a space for you and anywhere from 30 to 130 guests by calling us at (415) 694-7310. Learn more at www.enchantedhillsretreat.com.

LightHouse News

Getting ‘Real’ About Moving Forward in Your Life

10/01/2015 LightHouse Staff

LightHouse Rehabilitation Counselor Debbie Bacon trains Immersion participant Judi Lewis on how to use a video magnifier (Photo Credit: Patti Rose)

Changing Vision Changing Life is a Catalyst for Change, Not a Vacation

Changing Vision Changing Life Immersion Training in Napa can be the jump start to truly transforming the way you experience your vision. During the Immersion, you and up to 13 other students will come together in an intensive and immersive week of learning or re-learning skills, sharing your stories, exchanging solutions, supporting each other. Because learning how to do something different takes time, commitment and development of new skills and sensitivities, this week provides you the opportunity to become acquainted with a “buffet” of skills that support your journey of independent and confident living.

Where: Enchanted Hills Retreat
When: Sunday, November 15 through Friday, November 20.

Here’s what Changing Vision Changing Life Immersion is all about:

Changing Vision Changing Life is a week committed to YOU. It is the opportunity to learn how to take charge of living your life instead of letting your change of vision hold you and your life hostage.

Immersive training exposes you to a myriad of independent living skills and strategies; you will also receive a concentrated dose of orientation and mobility and access technology exposure.

You’ll work with our trainers in the full group, in small groups and one-to-one (as much as possible). We encourage students to learn using training shades, giving the experience of focusing on skill development through tactile learning, listening – incorporating all senses in learning and doing.

Changing Vision Changing Life is a personal commitment to having the desire and taking the time to make a change. The week is full of active participation starting as early as 7:30 in the morning with our optional Yoga class and ending at around 9:00 p.m. The days are full, incorporating time for learning, personal time for reflection and time to connect with fellow students. If you have never met another person who is blind or low vision, he or she will be your roommate, your fellow student throughout the week, your teacher, your mentor and quite possibly your new best friend.

LightHouse staff are professionally trained and the majority of the staff is also blind or low vision. They understand that everyone’s journey in training is different and that your journey is to be respected.

Part of the Changing Vision Changing Life framework is that personal acceptance, learning and embracing new skills and renewed skills take time and commitment – we expose you to the possibilities.

Many of our Immersion Session participants echo this resounding theme: “Now I know I am not alone, I have a community of support.” If you’d like to attend the November 15th session and start making your future ‘happen’, please contact the following LightHouse staff:

San Francisco Bay Area, contact Debbie Bacon at 415-694-7357 or dbacon@old.lighthouse-sf.org.
Marin County contact Jeff Carlson at 415-258-8496 or jcarlson@old.lighthouse-sf.org.
Humboldt or Del Norte Counties, contact Janet Pomerantz at 707-268-5646 or jpomerantz-sf.org.

New Sessions for 2016
Making that list of New Year’s resolutions? Resolve to live more independently. The first Changing Vision Changing Life immersion session for 2016 will be Sunday, January 31 through Friday, February 5. Contact our staff to find out more.

LightHouse News

Did you go to Enchanted Hills this Summer? Here are Highlights from Our Latest Sessions

09/25/2015 LightHouse Staff 1 Comment

This summer Camp Director Tony Fletcher and his enthusiastic team of staff and counselors gave campers of all ages a series of invigorating sessions this summer at Enchanted Hills Camp. Read on for summaries and select photos from this summer’s sessions at Enchanted Hills Camp. Don’t forget to go to the Enchanted Hills Camp Facebook page where you can view or add to our growing EHC Summer 2015 photo album.

Click here for our EHC Summer 2015 Facebook Photo Album.

Blind Music Academy
This year’s Blind Music Academy attracted 14 students from U.S., Canada and Mexico. Bill McCann, President and Founder of Dancing Dots, spent the week with the aspiring musicians, making for a second successful year. This musical week of learning culminated in the first-ever Music Academy concert on the Redwood Grove Theater stage to a full audience of campers, families and friends of Enchanted Hills Camp. Each participant had an opportunity to perform either has a solo or in group ensemble.

The audience raved about the performances and left with smiles on their faces. Enchanted Hills Camp supporter and concert attendee Christina McNair wrote, “Is this an amazing rendition of Santana’s Black Magic Woman or what – OMG??!! Wow! All young band members visually impaired or blind – honestly blew me away! Participant Daniel Cavazos wrote, “Can’t wait to do it all again next summer! Definitely one of, if not the greatest highlights of the summer and this year.

Here’s the video recording of the performance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EmGTerv288

Enchanted Hills Camp Director Tony Fletcher said, “I think the musicianship of the students in our classes is just outstanding. Director Bill McCann and Assistant Director Roberto Gonzales really are class acts to work with and their teaching skills were evident by how well the students grew musically throughout the week. We’re eager to expand the length of the program and make room for more students, so stay tuned for news about Music Academy 2016.”

Camper Rory Blatcheford cleans a horse’s hoof

Horse Camp
This year’s Horse Camp, our first, was led by avid horseback rider and wrangler, Diane Starin. Starin, who is blind, has owned, ridden, taught and cared for horses for more than 30 years. She has an Associates of Science degree in agricultural business, a Certificate in Horse Husbandry and is a certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor.

Young campers spent the first part of the week learning how to care for horses and their equipment (saddles, reins, bits, helmets, lead ropes) and this progressed into independent riding of the horses.

Camp Director Tony Fletcher said, “It’s the first time that a horse camp has ever been offered at EHC. The participants gained a lot more knowledge and confidence about what makes horses tick as well as all about the materials necessary to care for both horses and the equipment used to ride. They became more confident in their ability to ride independently on the new horse trail constructed this year by our AmeriCorps volunteers.”

Camper Kevin Leong gives two thumbs up after landing an airplane during the TouchSTEM session

TouchSTEM Camp
“My favorite part of stem camp was when we got to dissect a shark. Although smelly, it was very informative to be able to feel inside the shark’s innards, and learn what each part of the shark does.” – Nikki, TouchSTEM camper

“In school, I’m usually sidelined during class experiments, but at TouchSTEM Academy, I led the experiments.” – TouchSTEM Camper

This August, the LightHouse partnered with WizKidz Science and Technology Centers Inc. to offer a TouchSTEM summer science track. WizKidz Science and Technology Centers has been at the forefront in delivering accessible outreach efforts in STEM education for visually impaired youth.

WizKidz brought in UC Berkeley students majoring in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) to provide a concentrated dose of those subjects to eighteen blind kids, ages 11 to 15, using cutting-edge, blind-accessible techniques and tools. Here teens safely ignited clouds of gasses, dissected sea creatures and co-piloted planes. Students like Kevin Leong had the time of their lives taking the yoke of a plane to help the TouchSTEM pilot bank left over the hills.

TouchSTEM is about three things: 1) Sparking STEM interest in blind teens, 2) educating teens, parents, and schools about accessible techniques and tools that enrich STEM learning, and 3) building confidence by shattering misconceptions about blindness. Teacher-counselors made sure this educational camp session was literally exploding with excitement.

We salute our budding STEM professionals and cannot wait to see the things they invent, cure and create.

Click here to view and add to our EHC Summer 2015 Facebook Photo Album.

LightHouse News

Join Expert George Wurtzel for an Innovative Class in Woodworking

09/14/2015 LightHouse Staff 2 Comments

A photo montage of George Wurtzel working with wood and walking, white cane in hand, at Enchanted Hills

Deadline to sign up: November 5, 2015

Join expert George Wurtzel at our first workshop for both beginners and experienced woodworkers. This class will touch on 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. We will 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 wish to learn about woodworking
Where: Enchanted Hills Camp
When: Thursday, November 12 through Sunday, November 15, 2015
Cost: $300.00 plus $40.00 for transportation

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.

Please contact George in advance if you have something in particular you would like him to cover. We also encourage attendees to bring their ideas for a project in wood to the first class and think outside the box for some outrageous sculpture project. George can be reached at gwurtzel@old.lighthouse-sf.org. Future classes include leather working, ceramics (both slip style and wheel thrown) and sculpture using a variety of materials – wood, ceramics, metal, rock, Hydra stone and anything at hand.

LightHouse News

Volunteers Make Enchanted Hills the Ideal Retreat Destination

09/01/2015 LightHouse Staff

This September we’re extremely pleased to be hosting a group of volunteers from the legendary apparel company Timberland, who will come from around the country to lend their time and effort into making Enchanted Hills Camp an even more picturesque, comfortable place to be. They’ll be dousing fences and handrails with fresh coats of paint, building picnic tables, and more, as we prepare for a beautiful autumn full of not only events for the blind, but private events, weddings, and other corporate retreats.

This is only one of the many outside groups we’re hosting this summer and fall. Many come for team-building purposes, special events, or just to kick back and relax. We’re now booking for 2016, and with all of our regular summertime camp activities, space fills up fast. The secret is out: Enchanted Hills is one of the most peaceful, affordable, and accommodating retreat destinations Napa has to offer.

For more information about Enchanted Hills Retreat, or to reserve your space, call (415) 694-7310.