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Enchanted Hills Camp

LightHouse News

You are invited to a very special Community Event at Enchanted Hills Camp: Author Cecelia Setty Speaks about Mt. Veeder’s History

Author Cecelia Setty will speak about the fascinating history of Mt. Veeder and the original Mt. Veeder Resort which is now home to Enchanted Hills.

When: Sunday, February 9, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Where: Enchanted Hills Camp
Refreshments will be served
RSVP to afletcher@old.lighthouse-sf.org

Cecelia Setty

Grape grower Cecelia M. Setty has published two books on Napa’s history. “The Mount Veeder Resort” is about our very own mountain and “Atlas Peak” is about her family’s’ 90 year old ranch. Cecelia was born in Salinas, California and is a descendant of early pioneer families that settled in Napa in 1863-1866.

More About Mt. Veeder
You can also listen to a podcast of Hope Sinclair talking about growing up on the property that is now Enchanted Hills. Hope Sinclair’s father bought the land in 1927 and operated a boy’s camp there for more than 20 years. Hope herself spent much of her girlhood at camp in the 1930′s and 1940′s and developed a detailed love for the nature and history of the place. Listen to her stories of wild fire, a variety of tenacious mountain folk and the use of the land by a Blind Boy Scout troop from Berkeley years before it was purchased by Rose Resnick to open the first camp for the blind in the west coast in 1950. The podcast is found here at http://lbvi.staging.wpengine.com.com/blog/hope-sinclair-interview-august-6-2012-part-1-of-2/

For more information about Enchanted Hills Retreat, please call (415) 694-7310 or go to www.enchantedhillsretreat.com.

LightHouse News

Gill Concerts Raise Over $7,000 for Enchanted Hills Special Needs Session

For many years now, beloved former Menlo School teacher Steve Gill, his daughter Anne and a team of talented current and former Menlo School students and faculty, have treated us to two evenings worth of songs by great American songwriters. This year their theme was “Kern and Cahn go to Hollywood” as they performed songs written by Sammy Cahn and by Jerome Kern that were used in various Hollywood films. Wonderful songs such as Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (from the film Roberta), Ol’ Man River (from Showboat) and The Way You Look Tonight (from Swing Time). Steve made the evening even more interesting by giving the audience a little bit of background on each song.

Steve, Anne and “Annie’s Friends” as the group is called, make these performances possible in order to raise funds for the Enchanted Hills Camp Special Needs session. In 1997, shortly after Anne graduated from high school, she was in a near-fatal car accident that left her blind and brain injured. After a long rehabilitation period, the Gill Family found out about the Enchanted Hills session for blind adults who also have other disabilities and Anne began attending. Soon after they began to fundraise for the Enchanted Hills session, and they have now raised over $86,000.

We offer our profound gratitude to Steve and Nancy Gill, Anne and all of “Annie’s Friends” for the great shows they put on to support us.

If you would like to donate to Enchanted Hills Camp, you can do so online at http://bit.ly/donatelh.

LightHouse News

Join our Team – the LightHouse is Hiring Camp Counselors

Are you attracted to helping blind youth and adults grow in their abilities, skill and self-confidence? Perhaps you attended camp, and have experienced the life-changing power of Enchanted Hills firsthand? Then perhaps this summer you might want to join our spirited camp in the rolling Napa foothills and have some fun while doing a whole lot of good.

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 summertime 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. Your job will be to make sure campers grow in their own potential while at the same time have a summer experience which is powerfully fun and engaging.

We’re looking for people who know how to build camp spirit and contagiously involve all campers in trying new activities, sports and blindness techniques. You are not required to know much about blindness when you start, but we expect that you will quickly learn much about the can-do spirit and techniques which all successful blind people use. Or you may be blind or visually impaired yourself. So whether your background or interest is in education, psychology, rehabilitation, crafts or sports, if you think you can bring your spirit and knowledge to bear on inventing the best camp ever, we want to hear from you.

Camp counselors are part of a 20-person counseling team. 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. Our application period closes on March 30, 2013. For further information contact Tony Fletcher, Enchanted Hills Camp Director at (415) 694-7319 or afletcher@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

Enchanted Hills Camp Staff

LightHouse News

Spotlight on Napa: Nature and Culture at Enchanted Hills Retreat

Over the next six months we will publish a series of columns about Enchanted Hills that will give you even more reasons to choose our retreat for your group of 30 to 150. Features will focus on:

  • The History of Enchanted Hills from the Mayacamas Indians through the stage coach days until the current day.
  • Flora and Fauna of Mt. Veeder that make the retreat a nature-lovers haven.
  • A Mycologists Dream – a look at the Mushrooms of Mt. Veeder. When the rain falls, shaggy manes, king trumpets, boletus and candy caps are some of the fungi that sprout along the mountain trails.
  • Wine Exploration – an exploration of the wineries and wine makers that make Mt. Veeder a world renowned appellation. Mayacamas, Hess and Godspeed are some of renowned vintner neighbors.
  • Family Exploration – Napa is a great destination for all ages with activities to thrill all of the members of the family. Race your way to Sonoma Speedway, kayak on the Napa River or take a bike tour of Napa Valley back roads.
  • What’s Happening in Napa Valley? – a focus on special events in Napa County throughout the year. Perhaps you’d like to catch a film at the Napa Valley Film Festival, ride 50 miles in Cycle for Sight, or find your bliss at the Napa Valley Truffle Festival?
  • How you can help: Reserve Enchanted Hills for your yoga retreat, family reunion, church group, conference, wedding or other gathering. All proceeds from Enchanted Hills Retreat support our life-changing programs for the blind.

For more information about Enchanted Hills Retreat, please call (415) 694-7310 or go to www.enchantedhillsretreat.com.

View of beautiful Lokoya Lake through the trees

LightHouse News

Neighbors Gather at Enchanted Hills

We want to thank the Dry Creek Lokoya Volunteer Fire Department for hosting this year’s Community Holiday Party at Enchanted Hills. The lodge was full of joyful neighbors, family and friends enjoying Celtic music and delicious food for this holiday celebration.

Thanks to these additional partners and contributors:
The Friends of Enchanted Hills
The Mount Veeder Stewardship Council
The Mount Veeder Fire Safe Council
Zaro’s Christmas Trees on Redwood Road

Dry Creek Lokoya Volunteer Fire Department logo

LightHouse News

Redwood Stage at Enchanted Hills – We’re Nearly There

For half a year Napa Kiwanis members have surveyed, planned and now built the performance stage in our emerging Redwood Grove Theater. Their generosity in building the space in the cold of winter will be seen as summer campers enjoy the area as a cool shaded retreat from the summer heat.

If you and your special group would like to volunteer to work at Enchanted Hills Camp, contact Tony Fletcher at 415-694-7319 or afletcher@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

The redwood stage

Kiwanis Club of Greater Napa members Theresa Comstock and Ralph Giannini putting together the final touches of our new Redwood Grove stage at Enchanted Hills.

LightHouse News

Start your New Year with New Skills and Life-Long Connections!

Are you newly losing vision and want to know how successful blind people deal with it? Or have you been blind or visually impaired for a while and want to be brought up to speed with an intensive connected introduction to the latest in skills and gadgets? Would you like to take part in an opportunity to learn new skills while enjoying the fresh air, tall redwoods and delicious, healthy meals at Enchanted Hills?

Throughout 2014 we are offering the following Changing Vision, Changing Life Immersion sessions:

• Sunday, January 26 through Friday, January 31, 2014
• Sunday, March 30 through Friday, April 4, 2014
• Sunday, June 8 through Friday, June 13, 2014
• Sunday, September 7 through Friday, September 12, 2014
Transportation is provided from LightHouse offices in San Francisco, Berkeley and the North Coast.

We also offer training in our San Francisco, Marin and North Coast offices. To learn more about trainings in Napa and in San Francisco, contact Debbie Bacon, Rehabilitation Counselor at 415-694-7357 or dbacon@old.lighthouse-sf.org. For training in San Rafael, contact Jeff Carlson, Social Worker at 415-258-8496 or jcarlson@old.lighthouse-sf.org. Del Norte and Humboldt county residents may call Janet Pomerantz at 707-268-5646 and e-mail jpomerantz@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

Students on their way to catch bus that will take them to dinner in Napa

LightHouse News

Mark Your Calendar for Special Sessions at Enchanted Hills Camp This Summer

Our special sessions are part of what makes EHC the place to be in 2014. In January we will publish on our website dates for all the kids, family, teen and adult sessions we’ll have available as well as how to apply. (Watch for our announcement.) See you this summer at these special sessions:

Chemistry Camp: May 2nd to May 4th, 2014
Up to fifteen blind high school students, ages 14-18, will be selected to participate. Would you like to learn how blind people tackle the supposedly 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? Then the California Chemistry Camp is for you.

For Chemistry Camp program information & application please contact:
Angela Fowler
Director of Planning, Accessible Science
Email: fowlers@syix.com
Phone: 530-902-0987
There is no cost to attend.

Providers Weekend 2014: Now Free to Newcomers!
Please reserve May 16 to 18 now for an enlarged and far-ranging Provider’s Weekend at Enchanted Hills Retreat in Napa. For nearly 20 years the LightHouse has hosted this signature event as the one place in the Bay Area where teachers, managers, program staff and students entering the blindness field can meet and network throughout a long weekend.

When: May 16-18, 2014
Where: Enchanted Hills Retreat
Cost: $100.00 (free for first-time participants)

Summer Music Academy
We’re offering a brand new Music Academy for blind and visually impaired musicians that will rock your world. 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 generally gain the capacity necessary to compete for and win employment in the music field.

When: August 3 through August 9, 2014
Where: Enchanted Hills Camp
Cost for the week, all-inclusive: $300
(Limited scholarships will be made available)

For more information on Enchanted Hills sessions contact Tony Fletcher at 415-694-7319 or afletcher@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

LightHouse News

Estate Gift Will Help Support Deaf-Blind Session at Enchanted Hills Camp for Years to Come

Jill Sprinkle and her husband were both Deaf-Blind. Beginning in 1995, Jill was a long-time enthusiastic participant at the LightHouse. Here she learned braille, Orientation and Mobility, and cooking. One of her great joys was attending Enchanted Hills Camp Deaf-Blind sessions. She told people that Enchanted Hills was her second home, and exulted in having a place that was safe and fun for deaf-blind people to be independent.

Last year Jill Sprinkle passed away. She gave a bequest of over $170,000 to support the Deaf-Blind session at Enchanted Hills – which we will leverage to provide the session for many years to come. Since 1950 more than 25,000 blind children, youth, adults and their families have enjoyed the unique capabilities of Enchanted Hills. The Lighthouse has been able to offer camperships at dramatically subsidized rates only because of gifts and bequests like those of the Jill Sprinkle’s.

To learn more about how you can make a lasting difference by means of your estate, or to discuss planned gifts opportunities, please contact Jennifer Sachs, Director of Development, at (415) 694-7333 or jsachs@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

Jill Sprinkle speaking in sign language to a fellow Deaf-Blind camper