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

The week's events

4:00 pm: Triumph of Love Haptic Tour & Audio-Described Performance (in-person)

4:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Apr 9

Shotgun Players in Berkeley is presenting a haptic tour and audio-described performance of the musical The Triumph of Love on Sunday, April 9. The haptic tour begins at 4:00 pm and the performance begins at 5:00 pm.

The Triumph of Love follows the fierce and driven princess Leonide as she adopts the dress and prerogatives of a man, invades the retreat of a rationalist philosopher who hates love (and her!), and conspires to win the object of her desire. As the emotional stakes rise, confusion abounds in hilarious and dramatic ways.

Buy tickets for The Triumph of Love or call 510-841-6500 ext 303 or email boxoffice@shotgunplayers.org.

The runtime is 2 hours and 30 minutes including two intermissions.

Shotgun Players is located at the Ashby Stage at 1901 Ashby Ave, Berkeley near the Ashby BART station.

More Info
The Triumph of Love main page
The Triumph of Love haptic tour info
The Triumph of Love program

9:30 am: LightHouse and AARP Tax Support (in-person)

9:30 am – 2:30 pm
Apr 10

Appointments for the 2023 Tax Season are full.

If you do not currently have an appointment and wish to be placed on the waiting list, you may call and leave your full name and phone number at 415 – 694 – 7648. There is no guarantee that we will be able to schedule you.

If you would like to find other free tax filing services, we recommend looking at:

SF Human Services Agency Page, Filing Your Taxes for Free: https://www.sfhsa.org/services/financial-assistance/free-tax-help/file-your-taxes-free
Calling 211 if in San Francisco
Calling 311 for the greater Bay Area

While AARP’s Tax Season will close on April 13, the deadline to file both federal and state taxes has been extended to October 15, 2023.

If You have an appointment

If you have questions, please call 415 – 694 - 7648

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.

9:30 am: The Business of Blindness: Coffee with Mike Cole (online)

9:30 am – 12:00 pm
Apr 10

What does it mean to be blind or low vision? Mike Cole, a veteran of all things blindness, leads this call-in forum to discuss the many day-to-day ins and outs of blindness—from daily living in your home environment to navigating the vast expanse of bureaucracies.

RSVP for The Business of Blindness online or contact Andrew Martinez at AMartinez@lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7642.

5:00 pm: Toastmasters (online)

5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Apr 10

We are officially starting our LightHouse Chapter supported by experienced Toastmasters mentors! Toastmasters is a place to develop skills of self-empowerment. Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs.

If you have questions, please contact Sabrina Bolus at SBolus@lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7607.

6:00 pm: National Federation of the Blind: San Francisco Chapter Meeting (online)

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Apr 11

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.

9:30 am: Stress Reduction & Meditation (online)

9:30 am – 10:15 am
Apr 12

We offer a series of short, meditation-based practices for relaxation and stress reduction. The group is appropriate for beginners and advanced practitioners and provides instruction in all aspects of the practice. Instructor Jeffrey Schneider has more than 40 years of meditation and teaching experience.

RSVP for Stress Reduction & Meditation online, or contact Sabrina Bolus at Sbolus@lighthouse-sf.org or 415-694-7607.

1:00 pm: Gratitude VIBES: April 2023 (online)

1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Apr 12

Gratitude-VIBES are Visually Impaired Blind Energizing Sessions. Each week a student presents something that invigorates them. Previous presentations included poetry, singing, drumming, visualization, calligraphy, self-care, gardening, and employment journeys. Gratitude is associated with greater happiness and can help you feel more positive emotions, recognize and relish good experiences, improve your health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. Individual shares and a gratitude exercise follow presentations.

April’s theme: Advocacy
April 5: Paratransit
April 12: Home Life/Neighborhood
April 19: Through Fundraising
April 26: Ride Share Taxis

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

9:30 am: LightHouse and AARP Tax Support (in-person)

9:30 am – 2:30 pm
Apr 13

Appointments for the 2023 Tax Season are full.

If you would like to find other free tax filing services, we recommend looking at:

SF Human Services Agency Page, Filing Your Taxes for Free: https://www.sfhsa.org/services/financial-assistance/free-tax-help/file-your-taxes-free
Calling 211 if in San Francisco
Calling 311 for the greater Bay Area

While AARP’s Tax Season will close on April 13, the deadline to file both federal and state taxes has been extended to October 15, 2023.

If You have an appointment

If you have questions, please call 415 – 694 - 7648

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.

11:00 am: Create In Community Art Class (in-person)

11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Apr 13

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.

In April, let's experiment with creating Junk Journals, personalized scrapbooks loaded with uneven pages, ephemera, pockets, fold-outs, dangles and anything else you choose to insert within its pages. Bring old trims, tickets, postcards, and other bits of stuff to personalize your creation.

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!