Instructions and payment information will be available on the application. Our camping sessions are extremely popular and fill up fast, so don’t delay. Applications will be accepted on a first come first served basis. For more information please contact Rich Russo at rrusso@old.lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7352.
2012 Camping Session Dates
Family Camp I: June 21 through June 24
Adult Session: June 30 through July 5
Adults with Special Needs: July 7 through July 11
Family Camp II: July 12 through July 15
Youth Session I (3rd through 8th Grade): July 16 through July 22
Youth Session II (9th through 12th Grade): July 26 through
August 4
Connect to your power in 2012 and move with new energy!
This afternoon class is designed to encourage you to playfully stretch, breathe, laugh, open and move into the rhythm of your power…
Nancy Yates, Yoga Instructor
Refreshments (chai and strawberries) served
When: Saturday, January 21, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Where: LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters RSVP encouraged, contact: Brandon Young at byoung@old.lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7372
Make your reservation for a pre-holiday yoga workshop this Saturday with instructor Nancy Yates.
Traditionally, holidays signaled a time for connection with loved ones….a moment to ritualistically pause and enjoy each other and the gifts that love provides. Today, in the midst of the collective “commercialization and restlessness” it is challenging to just pause and inhabit calm.
Whatever your holiday experience is, this afternoon is designed to “Inhabit Now, Now” with awareness while we are playfully stretching, breathing, opening and moving into the rhythm of now.
Join us for a wonderful workshop of stretching and breathing, calm and freedom.
When: Saturday, December 17, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Where: LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters, 214 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco
Join yoga instructor Nancy Yates for a wonderful “pre-holiday” yoga exploration workshop.
Traditionally, the holidays signal a time for connection with loved ones….a moment to pause and enjoy one another and the gifts that love provides. Today, in the midst of all the collective “commercialization and strife” it is challenging to pause and remember our heart-felt sacredness and calm.
Whatever your holiday experience is, this afternoon is designed to open you to the creative, playful (giggling), wise and loving transformational energy of our Beautiful Breath and the healing tools of yoga. Together we will explore top yoga mat reviews and meditative yoga practices to awaken and open the heart for greater joy and connection to the rhythm of your life-force.
Join us for a wonderful workshop of stretching, breathing, relaxation and freedom, led by yoga instructor Nancy Yates.
When: Saturday, November 19th, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Where: LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters
Strawberries and Chai tea will be served
For more information, contact Brandon Young at 415-694-7372 or byoung@old.lighthouse-sf.org.
Camper Fredrik Landin creates shapes with yeast-risen dough
Enroll by Friday, November 4!
Last summer we gave children attending Enchanted Hills Camp the opportunity to participate in “Science Camp”. Well we have great news! The LightHouse, in partnership with Howtosmile.org, the Lawrence Hall of Science, and CINVESTAV México is offering a special opportunity to experience two multi-sensory science classes designed especially for K12 students.
Science instructors Sherry Hsi and Cristina Reynaga, from the Lawrence Hall of Science, ran our very successful Science Camp this summer and are looking for enthusiastic kids who might be interested in participating in these classes.
When: Saturday, November 5
10:00 a.m. to 12:00noon OR 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Where: LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters
Please note: space is limited to 10 participants per workshop. Please enroll by November 4, 2011!
See below for details on each workshop.
If you are interested in having your child participate or would like to learn more, contact Brandon Young at byoung@old.lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7372.
Class Descriptions
Class No. 1 – Modeling Cells and Making Musical Instruments
Ever wanted to get hands-on experience with several sides of science? Would you like to spend a morning learning about microscopic cells and how sound travels? Want to feel how all the structures in a cell fit together? In this “make and take” science and art workshop, it’s all about getting involved and learning with no barriers. Now it’s your turn to use your hands to learn about cells, as well as construct amazing musical instruments using everyday materials while learning about how sound travels, how ears work, and the concept of vibration and waves.
Grade Level: 4th to 6th grade
Enrollment Limit: 10
When: November 5th, 2011, 10:00 a.m. – 12 noon
Location: LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters
Class No. 2 – Exploring the Secret Lives of Molds, Fungi, Yeast
Ever wondered how the largest organism on earth grew? Want to learn what you and yeast have in common? Couldn’t participate in a dissection in your class because the teacher wouldn’t let you dive in with your hands? If you’re a Middle or High school student interested in science, this hands-on workshop may teach you more than you ever expected to learn about living things microscopic and larger. Discover the world of microscopic fungi, how they grow and reproduce and their role in everyday life. You will conduct experiments, use tactile models, and build with arts and craft materials to explore the hidden worlds of single and multi-cellular organisms.
Grade Level: 7th to 12th grade
Enrollment Limit: 10
When: November 5th, 2011, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Where: LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters
Logistics
There is no charge to attend the workshop. Sign up today to reserve your place in this free activity. As space is limited we’ll reserve your place on a first-come, first-served basis.
Food will not be served at this event. Students should plan to bring snacks and a bag lunch.
On Sunday, October 23rd LightHouse Board member Chris Downey, with the help of two of his friends, rode tandem from LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters to the lighthouse at Point Reyes to raise funds for our programs and services. Donations are still coming in, but so far he has raised over $6000.00 towards his $10,000 goal. Here’s what Chris experienced on his ride, in his own words.
Chris Downey and Hans Bogdanos on the Golden Gate Bridge
The “LightHouse Blind Cycle Challenge” on Sunday, October 23 lived up to its name as my captains and I rode 64 miles (100km) from the door of the LightHouse in San Francisco to the lighthouse at the southern tip of Point Reyes. Not only did the name celebrate the lighthouse at either end of the ride but it also captured the challenge that played out between the two points – especially the final 15 miles!
To our delight, the day was sunny and warm from start to finish. Heading out of the LightHouse on Van Ness at 8 a.m., we went for a majestic start loop around City Hall before cutting over to Folsom Street to head east to the Embarcadero. We made it around the waterfront before the locals hit the Ferry Building and before the tourists had a chance to descend upon Fisherman’s Wharf. Even the ride across the Golden Gate Bridge was sunny, clear and warm without the powerful gusts of wind that so commonly encircle the towers.
From there we continued north through Sausalito, along a string of bike trails, then rode through the towns of Larkspur, Ross, San Anselmo and Fairfax before clearing the hustle and bustle of Sunday morning Marin coffee traffic. We made quick work of White’s Hill before dropping into the San Geronimo Valley and then riding north to Nicasio. After a brief stretch and an energy bar, we continued around the Nicasio Reservoir, and out to Point Reyes Station where we met my wife and son, Rosa and Renzo. Thinking we had sufficiently “tamed the beast”, we feasted on hearty lunches. We slipped into a premature sense of success, thinking that the end was just around Tomales Bay and beyond Inverness, on the Point Reyes Seashore. Little did we know, the real challenge was about to begin.
Cresting over the hills west of Inverness we heard the sounds of the roaring coastline and felt a false sense of achievement. We began our proud descent down the narrow road that we thought would take us right to the lighthouse. A quick glance at the odometers at the base of the descent was our wake-up call that something else was in store for us: there were 15 miles to go! We spent those next 15 miles traversing the ups and downs of undulating country roads between wind-swept pastures. Cyclists affectionately call these “rollers”. At this point in our ride, we could think of a few other things to call them.
Our final half-mile was a rather steep ascent up to the cliffs above the lighthouse. We slowed to a pitiful 3.5 mile per hour pace. At times like this, it’s beneficial not to see the climb ahead. There’s no chance to be defeated or demoralized by the sight, so you just hunker down and get into an easy sustainable spin. At the end, despite fears of the usual cold and windy fog that typifies the Point Reyes peninsula, the sun graced us warmly as we crossed the finish line.
My captains Mike Brown and Hans Bogdanos did a great job piloting the tandem from start to finish with a tag team trade-off between a solo bike and my tandem. These two treasured friends have been riding with me since only four months after I unexpectedly lost all sight, just over three and a half years ago. In particular Mike, an old riding partner of mine, confidently declared (while I was still in the hospital, having lost all sight just days before) that we would start riding tandem together as soon as I was out. Riding with these guys and for the LightHouse made for a most spectacular and memorable ride. There was so much karma in the air that the sun had to glow from start to finish.
Thanks to all who supported the ride, and it’s not too late for those that would still like to take the opportunity to contribute through the first ever LightHouse Blind Cycle Challenge. Together we can reach the goal of $10,000 in support of this wonderful organization that has been and continues to be so critical to Bay Area children, adults and seniors – and even an architect like me, to build or re-build a meaningful, successful and exciting life without sight.
Sierra Regional Ski for Light (SRSFL) promotes participation in outdoor activities by blind and visually impaired persons in partnership with sighted persons. SRSFL invites participants to three on-the-snow events in 2012. No previous experience with cross country skiing or snowshoeing is required.
There will be two single-day ski and/or snowshoe events. The first is on January 21 and the second is on February 11. Both events take place at Tahoe Cross Country, Tahoe City, California. For further information on the single-day events, contact Betsy Rowell at 916-362-5557 or email montbets@pacbell.net.
The three-day event will take place at Tahoe Donner Cross Country in Truckee, California. For more information contact Cindy Quintana at 510-483-2948 or CindyQ12345@sbcglobal.net.
The deadline to sign up for all events is January 1, 2012. SRSFL has great guides and instructors. For further information or to get the application, visit www.SRSFL.org.
Come to the LightHouse on Saturday, October 15 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. for this month’s yoga workshop, “Giggle Rather Than Stress.”
Find out how to release rather than resist, to breathe rather than struggle and to be rather than do with instructor Nancy Yates. The workshop takes place at our San Francisco office at 214 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco (near the Civic Center BART station). Wheelchair users are welcome to attend.
To RSVP, contact Brandon Young at 415-694-7372 or byoung@old.lighthouse-sf.org.
LighHouse Blind Cycle Challenge on Sunday, October 23, 2011.
Cycle with or support LightHouse Board Member and Vice President Chris Downey and his tandem captains on an ambitious ride from LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters to the LightHouse at the southern tip of Point Reyes. Chris aims to raise $10,000 for LightHouse programs, including Enchanted Hills Camp in Napa, CA.
Christopher Downey, RA, (www.arch4blind.com) is an architect, planner and consultant who lost his sight in 2008. Today, he is dedicated to creating more helpful and enriching environments for the blind and visually impaired. Whether working as a planning and programming team member or as a client representative, he draws on his unique perspective as a seasoned architect. His 20-year career has encompassed a broad range of award-winning projects, from custom residences to the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth, MN, and MIT’s Rotch Architectural Library. Chris joined the LightHouse Board in 2009.
Are you a blind or visually impaired adult who cross-country skis or is interested in learning the sport? If your answer is yes, join other active adults from across the U.S. and around the world for Ski for Light 2012.
The 2012 Ski for Light International Week will be held from Sunday, February 5 through Sunday, February 12, 2012, in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. The annual event attracts recreational cross-country skiers from beginners to advanced participants.
Skiers and guides come from every adult age group and occupation. Blind participants are paired with a sighted instructor/guide who assists with skills, technique and endurance while describing the countryside and enjoying the trails. Two sets of parallel tracks are set in the snow, with the skier and guide deciding together how far, how long and on what kind of terrain they will ski.
Many attendees report that the confidence, new skills and friendships they develop are experiences of a lifetime that continue to pay many dividends when they return home.
Participants will stay at the Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in downtown Provo and ski at the Soldier Hollow cross-country ski area in nearby Midway. Soldier Hollow was the cross-country skiing venue for the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Applications for International Week are still being considered pending space availability. Full payment is due by December 15, 2011.
Visit www.sfl.org to learn more and to submit your application. Additional information can also be obtained by contacting Bob Hartt at bobmhartt@gmail.com or 703-845-3436.
Camper Fredrik Landin creates shapes with yeast-risen dough