EngAGE Welcomes Elizabeth Flores, MD, to Our Northwest Board of Directors

Posted on April 29, 2022 by EngAGE Editor

We are so pleased that Dr. Flores has joined us. You can see a list of all of our dedicated Northwest Board members here.

Elizabeth Flores, MD, is a physician with specialized training in geriatrics who has been serving the older population in the state of Oregon since 2008. Her expertise lies in helping older individuals improve health outcomes and age in place by bringing timely and comprehensive medical care to where they live.

Dr. Flores obtained her medical degree from UCLA medical school in 2004. She then obtained a specialty in geriatric medicine with Kaiser Permanente’s Long Term Care Program.

Dr. Flores is bicultural and fluently bilingual (Spanish & English). She is a devoted wife and mother of two healthy teenage children and enjoys live theater, dancing, and exploring Oregon’s natural beauty outdoors.

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Resident Spotlight from Dorado Senior Apartments: Artist Pon

Posted on April 26, 2022 by EngAGE Editor

Dorado Senior Apartments, Buena Park, CA: Pon is an active resident in our community and painting in all types of mediums is her favorite pastime. She finds her inspiration from either photographs she has taken or pictures from books, magazines, and newspapers. “I am drawn to the pictures like a magnet, and then I paint,” she said.

Pon has a great love of nature, and most of her paintings include picturesque mountainscapes or sunsets by water. She also enjoys painting food.

Pon arrived here in the United States as a young adult from Bangkok, Thailand. She has embraced American culture, especially watching American football. When she’s not at home during football season, you can find her at a local restaurant cheering on her favorite team, the Los Angeles Rams – now the Super Bowl 2022 champions.

In addition to studying and making art, Pon also enjoys cooking Asian cuisine and participating in a variety of EngAGE classes.

Here is some of her wonderful work. (Notice the reference photos for the top two paintings.)

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Welcome to the Team: DeAnne Spicer Todd

Posted on April 4, 2022 by EngAGE Editor

DeAnne Spicer Todd, Program Director (ACE/121) – Ms. Todd began her professional performing career in 1978 as Alice in Wonderland at Disneyland and finished it dancing the role of Headless Marie Antoinette in Los Angeles Opera’s Ghosts of Versailles in 2015. In between she traveled the world as a singer, dancer, actress, choreographer, writer, and teacher on stage as well as in film and television. DeAnne is a blogger for the Red Cross and was the Global Winner of the Erma Bombeck Writing Competition in 2020. She also teaches Everyone Can Dance to older adults at EngAGE communities.

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Welcome to the Team: Rosa Jones

Posted on March 25, 2022 by EngAGE

Rosa Jones, Afterschool Program Director (Parc Derian) – Born and raised in Southern California, Mrs. Jones joins our team with over ten years experience serving children and adults with physical and developmental disabilities. Growing up in a multigenerational household, she gained a strong sense of service which led her to our EngAGE team. With her passion for humanitarianism, she was intrigued by human behavior and received her Bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2011. Since then, Rosa has dedicated her life to advocating for individuals in need and assisting them in reaching their full potential in California, Colorado, and Nebraska. Rosa is delighted to use her creativity to connect, empower and encourage the children and youth at Parc Derian in Irvine, CA. Her goal is to create a positive, safe and enjoyable atmosphere where everyone feels welcomed. She is fluent in English and Spanish. In her spare time, she enjoys being outdoors in Mother Nature: gardening, hiking, running, reading, painting, and spending time with family and friends.

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Welcome to the Team: Jean Marie Hatton

Posted on March 23, 2022 by EngAGE

Jean Marie Hatton, Program Director (Huntington) – Ms. Hatton joins us after twenty years of creative arts management experience. She feels that everything in life should be treated as an event and sees the importance of creating an inclusive experience for all. Her innovative approach to programming allows for many opportunities to connect with the Huntington community. She enjoys collecting donations of goods and crafts from the local neighborhood to use in the programs. The re-use and re-create mentality is near and dear to her heart. It leads to new and imaginative projects while helping improve environmental sustainability. Jean Marie has lived on both the East and West coasts but finds her heart loves the sunshine and energy found in California.

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Residents Praise NoHo SAC Program Director Lisa Argenziano

Posted on March 22, 2022 by EngAGE

We think our Program Directors are talented and dedicated, so it’s a special treat when our residents go out of their way to acknowledge that.

Lisa Argenziano, Program Director at North Hollywood Senior Arts Colony, was surprised and delighted by this letter of high praise for her that was sent to EngAGE CEO Tim Carpenter and COO Nancy Goodhart.

Congratulations and appreciation, Lisa, for the fine work you do to make sure that NoHo SAC residents receive the best programming EngAGE has to offer!

Text is reprinted below the images so it’s easier to read. Residents’ last names have been erased for privacy.

January 12, 2022
Subject: In Appreciation of Lisa Argenziano
Dear Mr. Carpenter and Ms. Goodhart:

This letter is to acknowledge and convey to you our appreciation of the phenomenal Lisa Argenziano, our EngAGE Director of Activities at the NoHo Senior Arts Colony. Since the very beginning of her employment by Engage, Lisa has worked tirelessly and enthusiastically to provide us with activities to maintain our physical, mental, and emotional health. She has accomplished this in a variety of thoughtful and imaginative ways.

Additionally, during the difficult time of COVID-19, and now unfortunately its continuation, Lisa has worked diligently to ensure that our Engage programs have continued seamlessly via ZOOM and she has gone the extra mile to personally create activities that have been intellectually stimulating, entertaining, and just plain fun!

In short, we want to express how fortunate we are to have Lisa Argenziano, whose strong and deep commitment to her role as our Engage Director of Activities, has so greatly benefited and enhanced the lives of we who reside in this Community.

Sincerely and with gratitude…

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Black History Month @ Piedmont: The History of Soul Food

Posted on March 21, 2022 by EngAGE

At Piedmont Senior Apartments in North Hollywood, CA, resident Bertha is the driving force behind the annual Black History Month event, and this year our chosen topic was “The History of Soul Food.”

At the beginning of February, residents and Program Director Arnold Schmidt decorated the large community room with Black History Month posters, then planned and prepared the virtual celebration.

Several residents worked hard to create handcrafted cookbooks, which were then raffled off during the two hour Zoom event. We had over 30 attendees, and 10 lucky winners from various EngAGE locations won a copy of the handmade cookbooks.

During the virtual event attendees learned about the origins of soul food, how it came to America, how it changed over time, and what exactly is Soulfood.

The event ended with a lively discussion and we heard some truly amazing stories.

Overall it was another wonderful experience for all involved, and we received some great feedback in the following days, like this comment from Sally at BSAC:

“Hi Arnold. Thanks for the delightful program yesterday. The information and the laughs were priceless”. – Sally

Contest Winners:
BSAC – Sally, Barbara, Janet, Delores
Piedmont – Stephanie, Rena, Pearl
Bella Vita – Ernestine
NoHo SAC – Theresa, Dinah

And thanks to Piedmont Program Director Arnold Schmidt for the informative write-up, the wonderful photos, and for facilitating this excellent event that brought joy to so many residents at our communities!

Posted in Bella Vita, Burbank Senior Artists Colony, Community, Community News, NoHo Senior Arts Colony, Piedmont | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment