Tag Archive

LightHouse North Coast

LightHouse of the North Coast has a New Home

07/14/2021 LightHouse Staff

LightHouse North Coast office has moved to the Grove Building at 317 Third Street in Old Town, Eureka. Third Street borders the Morris Graves Museum, and the cross streets are D and E. After almost ten years of being housed in the Humboldt Senior Resource Center, The Senior Center is expanding its programs and will use the former LightHouse space to continue to grow the many needed programs for seniors and their families. While we at LightHouse say a very gracious thank you to the Humboldt Senior Resource Center and feel fortunate to have worked alongside such dedicated colleagues who continue to develop comprehensive programs for seniors, we will not say Good-Bye as we will still be at a very accessible location in Old Town, and there for any person who is blind or low vision who needs information, support or training.

LightHouse of the North Coast continues our 20-year tradition of serving the low vision and blind community and their families from our new location. We are excited to be in our new building which houses several other non-profit organizations, as well as the office of U.S. Representative of California, congressman Jared Huffman.

While our doors are currently closed to in person services, we continue to provide resources and numerous classes via Zoom. If you or someone you know lives in the Humboldt, Del Norte, or Trinity counties, please contact us to take advantage of some of our remote classes until we open our doors later in September. We anticipate opening our doors in early September. Our services include:

Lighting and magnification assessments
Home safety and mobility instruction
Assistive technology training
Independent living skills training and beginning Braille.

Please feel free to contact Janet Pomerantz, MSW, for further information at jpomerantz@lighthouse-sf.org or by calling 707 268-5646. We look forward to hearing from you and meeting you when we reopen in September.

LightHouse News

New Perspectives, New Year, New LightHouse Support Group for Adults 55 and Over

11/03/2020 LightHouse Staff

It’s a challenging time for many, and if you’re 55 or over and new to blindness or having low vision, or your vision has changed significantly, you may be looking for a way to connect to other people going through the same thing.

This is the premise of New Perspectives, a six-week group offering education, support and resources for adults over 55 who are blind or have low vision.

The group will be facilitated by LightHouse Social Workers Janet Pomerantz and Jeff Carlson. Janet Pomerantz underscores what people will get out of the group.

“By participating in this group, people will begin to challenge some of the ideas that they may have about blindness and gain more confidence in their ability to remain independent. We will also practice advocacy, which is a lifelong skill for negotiating the world of being blind and having low vision. Consumers do not need any particular skill to participate, just a willingness to share and listen to others.”

What: New Perspectives

When: Tuesdays, January 5, 12, 19 & 26 and February 2 & 9 from 1:00 pm to 2:15 pm\

Who: Adults 55 and over who are new to blindness or having low vision, or whose vision has changed significantly.

Cost: This group is provided at no cost to those living in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Marin, Humboldt, Del Norte, and Trinity counties. If you are outside of these counties, please call for resources in your area.

Contact: To find out more about the New Perspectives group, contact Janet Pomerantz at JPomerantz@lighthouse-sf.org or 707-268-5646.

P.S. Just like in our San Francisco and East Bay offices, LightHouse North Coast is on-hand and ready to provide training virtually, via Zoom or by phone, as Janet says, “Although we are closed for in person services, we are open to provide resources and to connect folks with all the training that we usually do, whether it be Independent living skills, mobility, health and wellness, support or education.” Contact northcoast@lighthouse-sf.org or 707-268-5646.

LightHouse News

A Fond Farewell to a Beacon of Support in the Blindness Community

05/21/2019 LightHouse Staff

by Ali O. Lee, Vision Rehabilitation Therapist, formerly of the LightHouse of the North Coast

Guest author Ali O. Lee reflects on the life of Lois Willson, a LightHouse volunteer and leader in the blindness community since the 90s.

A black and white portrait of Lois Willson.

Lois Willson brought sunshine, humor, and positivity to any room. When she was newly diagnosed with Age-related Macular Degeneration, she and her husband Howard were integral to the LightHouse’s satellite operations on the North Coast. She helped facilitate low vision support groups in both Humboldt and Del Norte counties. In particular, they grew the Lighthouse’s Eureka Low Vision Support Group and renamed it “The Eyes Have It.”

Lois not only honestly shared her journey—adjusting to changes in her vision as she simultaneously adjusted to changes in her body due to aging and diabetes—but also connected people to community.

Together, Lois and Howard were a force, introducing people to the Humboldt Council of the Blind, making sensory toys with church members for babies who were blind and participating in LightHouse’s first “Changing Vision Changing Life” workshops on the North Coast. Lois believed in the potential of others, including creatures.

Later in life, she and Howard adopted a dog whose first act was to chew holes in the Styrofoam that comprised the back seat of their car when it wasn’t otherwise trying to escape. But, they continued to bring that darn dog in the car, anyway, as they reached out over many miles to support community members. To support the LightHouse’s low vision support groups, Lois and Howard traveled to remote Redway, Willow Creek, Fortuna, McKinleyville and Crescent City. They delivered radio receivers for the Reading Service of the Redwoods and local Lions Service Clubs.

Lois made herself available by phone and she referred people to services she herself used.

Lois received magnification training, sensory skills training, braille training, and Orientation and Mobility training from the LightHouse of the North Coast and the California Department of Rehabilitation. When she could benefit from it in her 80s, she readily adopted a white cane for independently navigating Eureka where she and Howard raised their children and volunteered for the Redwood Jazz Festival and adopted an elementary school classroom. She was rich in relationships, family and anecdotes.

From her cheerful yellow, Henderson Center house, Lois greeted neighbors and invited loved ones to join them in watching the annual Christmas Truckers Parade from their lawn. Rain or shine, Lois was vibrant and modeled resiliency in rural Humboldt County, California—where both she and Howard (but not the dog) are already missed.