Last month a very special group of volunteers gathered at Enchanted Hills for a very special Day of Service. Through the impetus of Jim Tomlinson, manager of Volunteer Napa, a program of Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership (CVNL), we hosted the largest group of volunteers ever, when approximately 200 employees of Diageo Chateau and Estate Wine, along with team leaders from the CVNL, seasoned camp volunteers and LightHouse staff, participated in a Day of Service at Enchanted Hills Camp for the Blind.
The day-long event demonstrated Diageo Chateau and Estate Wines’ commitment to building stronger communities and its desire to support socially responsible organizations.
Enchanted Hills and the LightHouse reaped the benefit of the strong Diageo work ethic as its staff tackled a number of tasks which made a huge physical impact on the camp. Assignments included cleaning out the upper barn; constructing and staining picnic tables; clearing Lokoya Lake’s water and island of vegetation and painting the bridge; painting the fence around the lake; clearing brush around the wishing well; painting the archery shed; painting the Lakeside cabins; staining and building picnic benches and painting the fence around the pool; and sanding, treating and staining the wood of the playground structure.
We are proud to announce that last year Enchanted Hills was designated an Emergency Shelter for the residents of Mt. Veeder. Volunteers repurposed a 40-feet long storage container to house emergency supplies, constructed shelving units and assembled a supply of emergency blankets and first-aid kits for the shelter.
Jim Tomlinson said, “Vensherrie Campbell from Diageo called me up to coordinate a day of volunteering. They wanted to bring upwards of 200 Diageo employees together in one location. The only place I know that could provide the right number of projects and could handle this sized group all in one day was Enchanted Hills. It worked beautifully. On the day, while I was walking around, I noticed laughter in every group – everyone was so cheerful and willing to help each other, the painting job was done by Madani house painting company. The spirit of the group was so wonderful.”
Camp Director Tony Fletcher said, “It was a fantastic experience working with the employees from Diageo and the Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership. Both organizations are class acts and I truly hope we have the opportunity to continue these relationships in the future.”
We want to thank Diageo, Jim Tomlinson of Volunteer Napa , Anton Timms and Emma Mills from Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership, photographer Peter Rodgers, and our camp volunteers and staff for the amazing amount of hard work, muscle and ingenuity each and every one gave to make Enchanted Hills more beautiful and functional for our Retreat guests, our campers and our visitors. We also thank them for purchasing supplies as well as providing a hearty lunch.
Want to see Enchanted Hills all spruced up? Reserve Enchanted Hills for your yoga retreat, family reunion, church group, conference, wedding or other gathering of thirty or more. All proceeds from Enchanted Hills Retreat support our camp for the blind and visually impaired. For more information please call (415) 694-7310 or visit www.enchantedhillsretreat.com.
