Calendar

LightHouse will be closed on Monday, May 27 for the Memorial Day holiday.

The week's events

  • LightHouse and AARP Tax Support (in-person)

    LightHouse and AARP Tax Support (in-person)

    –
    Feb 13

    LightHouse is again partnering with AARP’s Tax-Aide Program to provide free tax filing support at 1155 Market Street this tax filing season. AARP will be at LightHouse HQ on Mondays and Thursdays from February 2 – April 13, 2023.

    Appointments are required and they can be made for 9:30 am, 11 am, and 12:30 pm. Appointments can be scheduled by leaving a voicemail at 415-694-7648 or completing this form: https://forms.office.com/r/MsNHzhK3Hc

    This is open to anyone who needs support filing their federal and California state tax returns for the tax years 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019. (note: each year requires a separate appointment and we can only complete tax years 2019, 2020, and 2021 in March). There is no requirement based on age, income level, or San Francisco residency.

    Please bring with you:

    • Your tax paperwork you’ve received in the mail
    • A copy of your social security card
    • A copy of your photo ID
    • If you are eligible for a refund and would like it deposited directly into your account, please bring a voided check. If you do not have a voided check, your refund check will be mailed to you

    COVID-19 Requirements:

    Masks must be worn at all times.

    Out of Scope:

    If any of these situations apply to you, you may be out of scope for AARP. If you think that you are out of scope, please feel free to call us so that we can confirm.

    • If you do not have health insurance, we cannot prepare your tax return. Apologies, but this is due to the California mandate that requires everybody to have health insurance, which results in tax complications.
    • If you have tax deductible contributions to an HSA account, we cannot prepare your tax return. This is due to the differences in Federal and California tax law and is complicated.
    • If you have rental income, we cannot prepare your tax return.
    • If you are in a civil union or married filing separately, we cannot prepare your tax return. This is due to the differences in Federal and California tax law.
    • If you’re self-employed, and want to declare your health insurance premiums as an expense, and are receiving premium tax credits (via CoveredCA), we cannot prepare your tax return.
    •  If you have rental property, we cannot prepare your return.
    • If you have a dependent child with unearned income subject to the “Kiddie Tax”, we cannot prepare your return.
    • If you are self-employed and, due to the pandemic, you deferred paying your Self-Employment tax, have a PPP loan, or took Covid sick leave, we cannot prepare your return.
    • If you own a business with employees and/or inventory, we cannot prepare your return.  You would be wise to hire a professional tax preparer.
    • If you have hobby income or not for profit activity, we cannot prepare your return.

    There are some specific requirements and not all taxes will be able to be completed by AARP volunteers; these will be addressed when the appointments are made.

    If you have any questions, please call 415-694-7648. Thank you.

    Toaster masters Planning Meeting (online)

    Toaster masters Planning Meeting (online)

    –
    Feb 13

    LightHouse has an exciting opportunity to start our very own Toastmasters club! What is Toastmasters? We’re glad you asked! Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs. Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, the organization has over 280,000 members in more than 14,700 clubs in 144 countries across the globe.

    Toastmasters is a place to develop skills of self-empowerment. It's a place to practice public speaking, improve communication, and build leadership skills. Whether you are embarking on a career that will regularly require speechmaking or if you are simply looking to build confidence and find your voice in casual social settings, Toastmasters can teach you the skills to lead a more empowering life.

    In order to be considered an official Toastmasters club, we’ll need to recruit 20 members. On Monday, February 13, we’ll be holding a club planning meeting. We will discuss the next steps for developing LightHouse Toastmasters. David Chan, LightHouse student and former Board member, was the speaker at last month’s demo meeting and has agreed to be our first official club mentor! Join David and the rest of the (hopefully!) soon-to-be LightHouse Toastmasters members this Monday. 

    Agenda Topics

    • Welcome, a recap of the demonstration and meeting purpose
    • Process for Club and membership activation
    • Membership commitment level
    • Role of Mentors
    • Q&A

    RSVP: Please contact Sabrina Bolus at SBolus@lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7607

  • National Federation of the Blind: San Francisco Chapter Meeting (online)

    National Federation of the Blind: San Francisco Chapter Meeting (online)

    –
    Feb 14

    The National Federation of the Blind is a nationwide community of members that believe blind people can live the lives they want. We meet online via Zoom with the following schedule:

    6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. – Virtual Happy (Half) Hour
    6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. – Chapter Meeting

    To RSVP, contact President Bobbi Pompey at bobbipompey@gmail.com or 336-988-6375.

  • Stress Reeducation & Meditation (Virtual)

    Stress Reeducation & Meditation (Virtual)

    –
    Feb 15

    Each Wednesday morning we offer a series of short, meditation-based practices for relaxation and stress reduction. The group is appropriate for both beginners and advanced practitioners and instruction is provided in all aspects of the practice. Instructor Jeffrey Schneider has more than 40 years of meditation and teaching experience. It is a virtual class using the Zoom platform—everyone is welcome as little or often as they like. Dial in, find a comfortable position, breathe deeply, clear your head, and de-stress.

    RSVP to Sabrina Bolus at Sbolus@lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7607.

    Gratitude VIBES (online)

    Gratitude VIBES (online)

    –
    Feb 15

    Gratitude-VIBES are Visually Impaired Blind Energizing Sessions. Gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. This solutions-based group can help you feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve your health, deal with adversity and build strong relationships. Previous sessions included demonstrations of poetry, music, drumming, visualization, Chinese and Japanese calligraphy, self-care, gardening, and employment journeys. These are followed by individual check-ins.

    Our February 2023 theme is Relationships. Students will present on the following topics:

    February 1: Relationships between animals and people
    February 8: Relationships with friends
    February 15: Relationships with people we have not met yet
    February 22: Relationships and love

    RSVP to Sabrina Bolus at sbolus@lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-6707

     

  • LightHouse and AARP Tax Support (in-person)

    LightHouse and AARP Tax Support (in-person)

    –
    Feb 16

    LightHouse is again partnering with AARP’s Tax-Aide Program to provide free tax filing support at 1155 Market Street this tax filing season. AARP will be at LightHouse HQ on Mondays and Thursdays from February 2 – April 13, 2023.

    Appointments are required and they can be made for 9:30 am, 11 am, and 12:30 pm. Appointments can be scheduled by leaving a voicemail at 415-694-7648 or completing this form: https://forms.office.com/r/MsNHzhK3Hc

    This is open to anyone who needs support filing their federal and California state tax returns for the tax years 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019. (note: each year requires a separate appointment and we can only complete tax years 2019, 2020, and 2021 in March). There is no requirement based on age, income level, or San Francisco residency.

    Please bring with you:

    • Your tax paperwork you’ve received in the mail
    • A copy of your social security card
    • A copy of your photo ID
    • If you are eligible for a refund and would like it deposited directly into your account, please bring a voided check. If you do not have a voided check, your refund check will be mailed to you

    COVID-19 Requirements:

    Masks must be worn at all times.

    Out of Scope:

    If any of these situations apply to you, you may be out of scope for AARP. If you think that you are out of scope, please feel free to call us so that we can confirm.

    • If you do not have health insurance, we cannot prepare your tax return. Apologies, but this is due to the California mandate that requires everybody to have health insurance, which results in tax complications.
    • If you have tax deductible contributions to an HSA account, we cannot prepare your tax return. This is due to the differences in Federal and California tax law and is complicated.
    • If you have rental income, we cannot prepare your tax return.
    • If you are in a civil union or married filing separately, we cannot prepare your tax return. This is due to the differences in Federal and California tax law.
    • If you’re self-employed, and want to declare your health insurance premiums as an expense, and are receiving premium tax credits (via CoveredCA), we cannot prepare your tax return.
    •  If you have rental property, we cannot prepare your return.
    • If you have a dependent child with unearned income subject to the “Kiddie Tax”, we cannot prepare your return.
    • If you are self-employed and, due to the pandemic, you deferred paying your Self-Employment tax, have a PPP loan, or took Covid sick leave, we cannot prepare your return.
    • If you own a business with employees and/or inventory, we cannot prepare your return.  You would be wise to hire a professional tax preparer.
    • If you have hobby income or not for profit activity, we cannot prepare your return.

    There are some specific requirements and not all taxes will be able to be completed by AARP volunteers; these will be addressed when the appointments are made.

    If you have any questions, please call 415-694-7648. Thank you.

    Create In Community Art Class (in-person)

    Create In Community Art Class (in-person)

    –
    Feb 16

    Let's gather together in the 11th floor art space at LightHouse San Francisco (1155 Market) to explore a different art process, style or media each moth while connecting with fellow creatives. These are exploratory, process-oriented classes that invite you to work at whatever level you are, be it first timer to expert.

    This month we will create a variety of painted and textured papers that we will later use as collage materials to create colorful and tactile artworks.

    RSVP to Maia Scott at MScott@lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7608.

The events for the upcoming week are read aloud on our event hotline every Friday, which can be accessed by calling 415-694-7325. For more information about visiting the Adaptations Store, head to our shop page.

The LightHouse is scent-free. Please abstain from wearing colognes, perfumes, or other scented products. Additionally, coffee must be securely lidded at all times and citrus should not be peeled on the premises. Thanks for supporting our efforts to respect chemical sensitivities!

SDS safety dataClick here for our cleaning product safety data sheets (SDS) and ingredient information.

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