EngAGE changes lives by transforming affordable senior and multigenerational apartment communities into vibrant centers of learning, wellness, and creativity.
Sandra Wareing, Program Director (The Jasmine and Coventry Court, Orange County, CA)– Ms. Wareing received her BA in Psychology from the University of Minnesota and shortly thereafter moved to London, England, for work in computer graphics. She then moved to Los Angeles where she worked for 30 years in Human Resources and as an Executive Assistant in the entertainment industry. Ms. Wareing now resides in Orange County, and in her spare time enjoys tutoring adults for the Newport Beach Public Library Adult Literacy Program.
For this position in Northern CA, please send a resume and cover letter to GetEngaged@engageforlife.org referencing “Program Director – Morgan Hill” in the subject line.
Position: Program Director
Type: Non-exempt, 10 hours per week, mixed remote and in-person as allowed by COVID-19 regulations
Compensation: $19-22 per hour, DOE
EngAGE is looking for a creative and enthusiastic individual, with strong communication and social skills to build community and deliver programs in an independent senior living community in Morgan Hill, California. Using EngAGE’s whole person approach to creative living, the Program Director will facilitate and oversee programs in health and wellness, lifelong learning, the arts, and community building. Reporting to the Executive Director of Northern California, the Program Director will collaborate with on-site staff at the housing community, and be part of EngAGE’s national team of Program Directors.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Develop, organize, and offer programming in the arts, health/wellness & lifelong learning
Work with Executive Director, Chief Operations Officer, and Program Directors to develop innovative programming to support creative and healthy aging for residents
Advertise and promote classes, monitor progress and participation
Recruit, contract, and communicate with skilled teaching artists, speakers and entertainers
Schedule and facilitate events such as musical performances, birthday celebrations, art shows, and other special workshops. Partner with local organizations to produce classes, events, and celebrations
Build Relationships
Meet with residents to take a pulse on the community’s needs and brainstorm ideas for programs
Model supportive listening and communication techniques to support community building
Meet monthly with Property Management to ensure good communication and that all programming complies with building rules/policies
General Administrative
Generate monthly calendars and program reports
Monitor monthly program budget, reconcile credit card expenditures, and manage documentation for Independent Contractors
Attend monthly Zoom meetings of national team of Program Directors
Qualifications
Outgoing, team player, with optimistic outlook and good judgment
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Adaptable, and able to function well in a dynamic work environment
Experience working with older adults and/or in affordable housing appreciated
Knowledge of local nonprofit sector and arts organizations helpful
Check your email for a confirmation and link to join.
Connie Zweig, Ph.D., is a retired therapist, co-author of Meeting the Shadow and Romancing the Shadow, author of Meeting the Shadow of Spirituality and a novel, A Moth to the Flame: The Life of Sufi Poet Rumi. Her new book, The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul, (Sept. 2021), extends shadow-work into late life and teaches aging as a spiritual practice. Connie has been doing contemplative practices for 50 years. She is a wife and grandmother and was initiated as an Elder by Sage-ing International in 2017. After investing in all these roles, she is practicing the shift from role to soul. Learn more here.
Slow down, you move too fast, You got to make the morning last, Just kicking down the cobblestones, Looking for fun and feelin’ groovy. – “The 59th Street Bridge Song” by Paul Simon
In Praise of the Smaller Life
by Cynthia Friedlob EngAGE Websites & Social Media Manager
You’ve seen the articles. At age 73, South African heart surgeon Otto Thaning became the oldest man to swim the English Channel. At age 80, Japanese mountaineer Yuichiro Miura became the oldest person to climb Mt. Everest. And just last month, aviation pioneer Wally Funk, 80 years old, became the oldest woman to fly in space.
These are extraordinary achievements by extraordinary people. They also fit the popular cultural narrative: no matter how old you are, you’re not really living unless you stretch yourself to your limits. We live in a society obsessed by doing more, doing it faster, doing it to the fullest. Lean in, push the envelope, step outside your comfort zone. Go big or go home.
This kind of thinking usually leads to the creation of a bucket list made up of all things exciting and exotic. I have two friends who spent a month rafting 540 miles of the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia, then being handlers on the grueling, 1,000 mile Yukon Quest in Alaska. One of them did this to celebrate his 70th birthday.
Well, no, thanks. Not every life well-lived requires such extremes.
For some of us, like me, a smaller life is perfectly fine. All it requires is finding the things that bring you joy and cultivating opportunities to do them regularly. For example, I have an interest in genealogy, and it brings me great joy when I learn something new about my family history. I can get lost online for ages searching for information, and I value every discovery I make.
The smaller life is focused closer to home. I once had a conversation with a well-traveled colleague who pronounced with great certainty that the only way to understand the world was to travel. He was shocked when I disagreed. Not everyone enjoys travel, not everyone can afford it, and it is physically impossible for some. I happen to think that author Jon Winokur got it right when he pointed out that the root for the word “travel” is the same as that for “travail.” I look forward to the invention of the Star Trek transporter so that I can be plunked down in new places without having to endure the process of getting there.
For those who have wanderlust and the ability to fund it, I’m happy to say bon voyage. But some of us are content to be armchair nomads, learning about the world through reading; watching documentaries, foreign television shows and films; and visiting museums and historic locations online.
Those of us fortunate to live in the Los Angeles area can enjoy a taste of other cultures in nearby neighborhoods. You don’t have to go to Japan to celebrate the Cherry Blossom Festival, or to Mexico for Dia de los Muertos, or to China for the Chinese New Year. The experience isn’t the same as being in a foreign country, of course, but it can be satisfying and informative, especially if you talk to some of the locals.
The smaller life doesn’t mean that you have no goals, or you don’t challenge yourself to learn something new. It means that you have an open mind and set your goals realistically, taking on challenges that are manageable for your circumstances. In our EngAGE communities, I see residents who bravely try making art for the first time in their lives, writing a story or poem, singing with a chorus, learning another language, or exercising to regain strength. I understand and appreciate how significant those efforts and achievements are.
My smaller life may not include climbing Machu Picchu, but there’s a beautiful park where I can take a walk that tests my endurance. I won’t be immersing myself in a language learning program in Mexico, but my high school Spanish is getting a workout from a program online. And I don’t need to leave home to have my brain challenged by technology almost daily on my job!
Sometimes the smaller life is imposed upon us. The pandemic made just about everyone rethink venturing out. For many people, including EngAGE community residents, Zoom has provided a valuable connection to others, and an opportunity to learn and discover new interests. Fortunately, the Internet allows a physically limited existence to expand as far as the mind wants to go.
The smaller life is not a lesser life. It can be adventurous in its own way, and quite a lot of fun! Most importantly, it can have purpose and meaning. The scaled down triumphs of the smaller life are no less sweet than the dramatic ones that make the headlines.
It’s not necessary to “go big or go home.” It’s fine to stay small and stay home, enjoying a smaller life.
I am no longer waiting to do something great; being awake to carry my grain of sand is enough. – from “Christmas at Midlife,” a poem by Mary Anne Perrone
Cynthia has not flown in space, but she was excited to see the Space Shuttle Endeavor at the California Science Center.
Cynthia Friedlob is the Websites & Social Media Manager for EngAGE, and was a host of the former Experience Talks Radio Show. Before joining EngAGE, she was a writer for many years in children’s television and family feature films. Prior to that, she was a vocalist in a jazz trio. She’s been a visual artist for thirty years. She enjoys a creative, smaller life.
Tim Carpenter, CEO of EngAGE, shares his thoughts about his latest favorite thing.
As long as you live, keep learning how to live. ― Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Gardens, Gangstas, Profanity and Learning
by Tim Carpenter
EngAGE has been doing programs in lifelong learning for 22 years now. And I turned 60 this year. These two facts coincide and amaze me. This past year+ has been filled with lessons and challenges for us all. When the pandemic hit last year, I, like many people, turned to learning something new to feel better about myself, about my place in this suddenly lonely and isolated world. I turned to… gardening. Not a miraculous or particularly unique idea, but it was for me. I don’t and have not ever grown things.
My friend and EngAGE board member Greg Berkoff gave me a subscription to Master Class, which seemed like such a cool idea. I watched some, they were cool, but nothing really stuck as a true learning moment. Nothing until I watched the Ron Finley one on urban gardens – he calls himself the “gangsta gardener.” And he swears. A lot. Drops the F-bomb about food. I liked him immediately. And he very pragmatically spoke to me about how easy it was to grow delicious food – in pots, anywhere. I was in.
I went to the garden store and bought two types of tomatoes and basil, some used pots, some soil, a great little shovel, some other necessities. I planted them in my backyard (the soil was awful, so I went with pots). I planted all of it, began a careful watering, tending and trimming regimen, and then came the hard part. Waiting. I deep down knew I was waiting for them to die and I would just go back to reading novels in my spare time. But they didn’t die. They produced delicious food. I made summer angel hair pasta with sun gold tomatoes and basil. I made caprese salads. It was the best thing, eating this amazingly delicious fresh food that I grew. For Christmas, my daughter Zoe bought me a great garden-to-cooking book on planting everything. So, this year I expanded my garden to tomatoes, basil, cucumbers and zucchini, more plants, more varieties. I was especially excited and nervous about Persian cucumbers. I love them but wasn’t sure if my green thumb would stay green for these. I just had the biggest harvest I’ve ever had (see the photo) and the food is the most amazing tasting thing ever, to me. I love tending the plants, moving them around to make sure sun and shade are optimal, feeding them, trimming, caring for them – loving them. Every day.
I am a gardener.
So, 22 years of programming lifelong learning and wellness programs for people in affordable housing and I turned 60 during the ongoing pandemic, that’s where this story started. The extended period of isolation, the loneliness, the loss, the need for connection and purpose – this is what we hopefully learned about during this past year and change. So, I am practicing what I, what we, preach at EngAGE. I am learning something new that produces something healthy in and for me and mine. It makes me feel happy and grounded, literally, my hands in the earth. I highly recommend picking something up, doing something creative, learning something new, continuing to grow and have a life with a sense of purpose. Weirdly, it works.
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived – that is to have succeeded. ― Ralph Waldo Emerson
EngAGE is looking for two creative and enthusiastic individuals with strong communication and social skills to build strong and healthy older adult communities through our whole person approach to creative living, with programs provided in the arts, wellness, education, and community building.
Both positions are for Program Director. One serves communities in Tustin and Fountain Valley, and one serves communities in Garden Grove and Buena Park.
These are part time positions: 15 hours weekly / $19.00 per hour
Get the full job description here on our website, and find out how to apply.
Job applicants please note: Condition of employment for all positions requires a LiveSCAN criminal background check.
From Alma Wright, Program Director at The Magnolia @ Highland Senior Apartments in San Bernardino, CA:
“In March of 2020, the world came to a stop. The ladies in the Artists Round Table were in the middle of making these wonderful dolls using fabric, and learning some sewing skills along the way. Sixteen months later, I’m happy to report that this month we were able to pick up where we left off and finish our dolls just yesterday! In admiring all the dolls, it dawned on me that my ladies managed to put a little or a lot of themselves in each one. Sooo very cool!”
Congratulations to the talented artists! What a joyful story!
