We’d like to pay tribute to Tim Carpenter, our retired CEO, who founded EngAGE in 1999 and helped it grow to become a leading model for creative aging and resident services in affordable housing.
EngAGE began as More Than Shelter for Seniors, with a staff of one: Tim, who taught one writing class to get things started. He recalls,
” I taught creative writing at Heritage Park Duarte (this one was our first class offered as an org), Villa Azusa, Pacific Villa (Pomona), and Cedar Villas (Ontario). We had staged culminating events and would take writing trips on our bus (back when we had one). It was just me doing the classes and events, and the bus driver when I would steal it for our adventures.”
Early days: photos of the “We’re Still Here Revue,” a resident culminating event from Tim’s classes at the Skirball Cultural Center in LA. At right, daughter Zoë dances with Tim.
Years later, in partnership with Meta Housing, Tim catalyzed the creation of the Burbank Senior Artists Colony, a first-of-its-kind older adult housing community with high-end arts amenities and programs that opened in 2005. This led to the construction of several more Arts Colonies for both older adults and families.
During his tenure at EngAGE, Tim was a frequent speaker nationally, including giving a Grantmakers in the Arts keynote address. He spoke internationally at events and conferences in Ireland, Scotland, Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada, and New Zealand.
For his social entrepreneurship, he was honored with an Ashoka Fellowship, the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award, and both a Stanton Award and a Sabbatical Fellowship from the Durfee Foundation. Tim was also named an Encore Public Voices Fellow, a Next Avenue Influencer in Aging, and was appointed to serve on Governor Gavin Newsom’s task force on Alzheimer’s where he worked with Maria Shriver.
Tim is proud of becoming part of the Creativity and Aging movement, bringing arts to older people. He is particularly proud of being honored by the NEA, which selected EngAGE as one of the ten best practices programs in Arts & Aging in the country.
Watch Tim’s TedX SoCal presentation, Thrive As We Age.
Behind the personal and professional accomplishments stands Tim, the man. He has a deeply caring, generous spirit with room for a great sense of humor and a rock ‘n’ roll heart of gold.
Tim has expressed his gratitude to his loyal staff (some of us have been with EngAGE for fifteen to twenty years) and to the supportive Board members who have continuously encouraged him. Now it’s our turn to express our gratitude to him. Thank you, Tim, for all you’ve done and for being who you are!
Get to know Tim a bit at these links to articles he wrote for NextAvenue:
A Cure for Senior Loneliness Is Within Our Reach ~ Solving the problem of social isolation by thinking differently about senior housing
The Day I Became Eligible to Live in Senior Housing ~ 55 isn’t just a number when you’ve spent a career creating retirement communities
Life After My Heart Attack ~ “At 62, after working to make healthier choices, I had a heart attack. Here are the lessons that I’m now carrying with me.”
