EngAGE Is Thankful: Staff – Day Two

Posted on November 17, 2020 by EngAGE

EngAGE is celebrating Thanksgiving all month!

EngAGE is thankful for the people who help us pursue our mission to transform affordable housing communities into vibrant centers of learning, wellness, and creativity. This week, we’ll be sharing photos and a bit of information about all of our staff members. Please visit our website to learn more about them.

Nancy Goodhart, COO

Nancy Goodhart has passion for wellness and the arts, and continues to integrate her interests and vision with the goals of EngAGE, as she has for the past twenty years.

Megan Hocking, Program Director/LA County Food Coordinator (BSAC)

Megan Hocking‘s talents as an accomplished event planner, instructor, and writer, along with her enthusiasm and creative programming have positively impacted Burbank Senior Artists Colony.

Tracy Ligon, Program Director (Tavarua)

Tracy Ligon‘s background in social work and community support, along with her unending patience, translate into creative programming opportunities for the older adult community in the Northern San Diego area.

Mattie Loyce, Program Director, Northern CA (Windsor, Empress, LeNain) 

Mattie Loyce works with three supportive housing communities where many residents are dealing with complex health issues. Her natural ability to connect with residents from all backgrounds and spark interest in the creative and wellness programs EngAGE offers is an inspiration.

Armando Martos, LA Food Distribution Coordinator 

Armando Martos is essential to the success of our vital LA Food program as he navigates multiple communities with unique distribution systems. Residents appreciate his genuine concern for their welfare.

Laura Mason, Executive Director, EngAGE Northern California

Laura Mason is committed to developing strategic partnerships, projects, and resources to expand EngAGE’s award winning housing model in Northern California. She also plays an active roll in developing and driving our overall strategy, governance, and vision for the future. 

Tritia Moreno, Finance Assistant

Tritia Morena, a recent graduate of Cal State LA who is pursuing her CPA, brings to EngAGE great knowledge in contract management, cash receipts, and billing. Based at BSAC, she also enjoys interacting with the residents.

Thank you, EngAGE staff!

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EngAGE is Thankful: Staff – Day One

Posted on November 16, 2020 by EngAGE

EngAGE is celebrating Thanksgiving all month!

EngAGE is thankful for the people who help us pursue our mission to transform affordable housing communities into vibrant centers of learning, wellness, and creativity. This week, we’ll be sharing photos and a bit of information about all of our staff members. Please visit our website to learn more about them.

Lisa Argenziano, Program Director (NoHo SAC)

Lisa Argenziano draws upon her diverse background in arts administration and family counseling to create and support positive, meaningful experiences for the residents at the North Hollywood Senior Arts Colony.

Tim Carpenter, CEO/Founder

Tim Carpenter founded our organization in 1999 as More Than Shelter for Seniors. He is the recipient of multiple awards for his pioneering work. He continues to seek out the best practices for providing programming in Life Long Learning, Arts and Creativity, and Wellness. Tim is a visionary with enthusiasm.

Brian M. Cole, Program Assistant (Park Plaza, Andalucia, Cantabria/Asturias, La Coruña) 

Brian Cole creates beautiful, artistic flyers and maintains complicated Zoom calendars for the communities he serves. Residents and managers appreciate his positivity and ready smile. 

Ben Evans, Program Director/Gallery Curator (ACE/121)

Ben Evans is the Program Director of a one-of-a-kind housing model with a public gallery.  He is a choreographer, performer, and visual artist who uses his talents to nurture an innovative environment of multi-generational living, art-making, and community development.

Jennifer Fallon, Administrative Assistant

Jennifer Fallon enjoys collaborating with the EngAGE team and supporting them with administrative assistance to help bring positive, innovative programming to the older adults and families we serve.

Cynthia Friedlob, Websites & Social Media Manager

Cynthia Friedlob‘s mix of professional experience as a writer of children’s television and an exhibiting fine artist, along with her educational background in communications, give her a unique perspective on creating entertaining and informative social media posts for EngAGE.

Brenda Garcia, Program Director (Grove, Jasmine, Coventry Court)

Brenda Garcia enjoys inspiring others to discover and work towards their full potential. Her love of writing, music, and art contribute to her creative programming at the three communities she serves.

Thank you, EngAGE staff!

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EngAGE Is Thankful: Teachers – Lauren Wright

Posted on November 13, 2020 by EngAGE

EngAGE is celebrating Thanksgiving all month!

EngAGE is thankful to be able to provide intergenerational programming to keep our older residents connected with the younger generation.

We are thankful for EngAGE teaching artist Lauren Wright, who teaches voice and piano lessons at Magnolia@Highland Senior Apartments in San Bernardino, CA, and Long Beach Senior Arts Colony in Long Beach, CA. Lauren is majoring in Music Performance at California State University, Long Beach, Bob Cole Conservatory of Music.

Lauren teaches private 30-minute lessons for beginners with emphasis on reading music and playing simple pieces on the piano. Residents are not only learning how to play piano, but also some basic music theory and understanding of how the piano works.

Now, as is the case with all of our EngAGE programming, Lauren offers her classes online.

Click here to see the YouTube video of the culminating event of Long Beach Senior Arts Colony’s vocal music program, made possible with support of The Rock Club – Music Is the Remedy and the NAMM Foundation. Lauren played a vital role in making this special, uplifting music program successful.

Thank you, Lauren Wright!

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EngAGE Is Thankful: Teachers – Ann Apra

Posted on November 12, 2020 by EngAGE

EngAGE is celebrating Thanksgiving all month!

EngAGE is thankful to be able to provide Fitness and Wellness programs that help older adults create and reinforce healthy behaviors to strengthen and retain their independent lifestyles.

We are thankful for Ann Apra, who has been teaching cooking classes at Andalucia Senior Apartments and La Coruña Senior Apartments in Van Nuys, CA, for the past six years.  Her enthusiasm, beautiful charm, and dedication has inspired the older adult community to embrace learning about healthy eating. It’s well known that she’ll bring a full flatbed of vegetables and supplies to class. Residents gather around the table, follow her instructions, and actively take a role in the prep work. 

Ann has moved her instruction online during the pandemic to keep the residents motivated to stay engaged and eat well. She shares recipes a week in advance so all attendees can get their own ingredients and participate virtually. Additionally, she has opened her online classes to other EngAGE properties. Residents at both Burbank Senior Artists Colony in Burbank, CA, and North Hollywood Senior Arts Colony in North Hollywood, CA, are now also enjoying her classes. They eat and chat together virtually, and friendships have flourished.


Andalucia residents, Wilma and Melinda, take full advantage of cooking and eating with friends.

Ann also has created cooking videos, so the residents can watch and cook on their own at their own pace. She’s been making videos and performing on TV shows for years. Here’s an appearance she made some years ago for the show, “Community Cooking.”

Ann has an exciting class coming up next week in which she’ll be teaching this recipe:

Yum! Thank you, Ann Apra!

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EngAGE Is Thankful: Teachers – Rose Cooke

Posted on November 11, 2020 by EngAGE

EngAGE is celebrating Thanksgiving all month!

EngAGE is thankful to be able to provide Fitness and Wellness programs that help older adults create and reinforce healthy behaviors to strengthen and retain their independent lifestyles.

We are thankful for Rose Cooke who has taught Fitness and Wellness classes (including water aerobics) at Magnolia at Highland Senior Apartments in San Bernardino, CA, for almost ten years.  She motivates and inspires the residents to establish a fitness routine, and encourages them to achieve an increased sense of good health and community.

When the in-person classes changed to a virtual forum due to COVID-19, the residents stepped up to the challenge. 

Pre-COVID-19, Rose’s fitness class participated in “The Biggest Loser” fitness challenge.  Residents monitored their weight loss, with the help of Rose’s fitness classes, which meet twice a week.

They weighed in once a week for the twelve weeks of the game, and the top two biggest losers were awarded Wal-Mart gift cards. Curtis Railey won first place, and Dee Hayes won second place. Residents were very motivated, and most definitely want to play again!

Thank you, Rose Cooke!

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EngAGE Is Thankful: Teachers – Polet Zargarian

Posted on November 10, 2020 by EngAGE

EngAGE is thankful to be able to provide innovative creative programming to keep our residents engaged.

We are thankful for EngAGE teacher Polet Zargarian who teaches art classes at various EngAGE communities. She has worked for EngAGE for over seven years. Residents at the following Southern California communities enjoy her virtual drawing and painting classes: Burbank Senior Artists Colony in Burbank; Cantabria and Asturias Senior Apartments in Panorama City; Andalucia and La Coruña Senior Apartments in Van Nuys; North Hollywood Senior Arts Colony( NoHo SAC), Park Plaza and The Piedmont Senior Apartments in North Hollywood.

Polet (third from left) with Park Plaza’s art class earlier this year

Virtual lessons can be challenging for some artists to follow, so Polet has altered her instruction to accommodate the residents’ needs. She routinely checks in with them on a weekly basis to offer feedback and support. Supplies are delivered to their apartments so they can work independently at home. Polet enjoys the distanced, in-person critiques with residents when she drops off supplies and gets a quick peek at their artwork from the door.

At Burbank Senior Artists Colony, resident Kailas Dave, who hadn’t picked up a paintbrush since she was a little girl, decided to try Polet’s art class. Polet inspired her to embrace her creativity, and now she is one of the best artists in the building. She attends every arts program BSAC has to offer.

Art by BSAC resident Kailas Dave

Polet’s new digital virtual art class at BSAC meets twice a week. 

At NoHo SAC, Polet has been extra creative in reaching out to her art participants. She’s even inspired some residents to create studios in their apartments.

At NoHo SAC, Ari Ashkenazi’s home studio
Resident Jackie Benoit’s new art studio in her apartment at NoHo SAC

At Park Plaza Senior Apartments, Polet teaches her class via text and phone call. It’s lovely to see artistic expression lifting residents out of their feelings of isolation as their paintings develop.

Residents are persevering through this pandemic, and Polet loves how she is helping them by keeping her art classes alive in most unconventional ways.

Thank you, Polet Zargarian!

Posted in Andalucía, Art/Architecture, Burbank Senior Artists Colony, Cantabria/Asturias, Community News, La Coruña, NoHo Senior Arts Colony, Park Plaza, Piedmont | Tagged , | Leave a comment

EngAGE Program Director Helene Weinberg to Host Veteran’s Day Virtual Music Event

Posted on November 10, 2020 by EngAGE

News from EngAGE LBSAC Program Director Helene Weinberg in Long Beach, CA:

On Veteran’s Day, Wednesday, November 11th, I am honored to Emcee a special Veteran’s Day Virtual Music Event, “Thank You For The Music,” for The Rock Club’s ROCK FOR VETS music outreach and education program. The event will be live-streamed from The Scottish Rite Theater in Long Beach, CA.

This unique “telethon” runs from 3:00 pm until 5:00 pm and will include some very special guests: local soulful vocalist, Erma Vernardo; members of the Rock for Vets Band; and legendary songwriter and performer Alfonzo Boyd (songwriter for The Temptations, Elton John, and many others). Our Long Beach Senior Arts Colony resident singers’ video of the song, “I Love Living in Long Beach,” will also be featured during the event! The Rock Club is the music outreach non-profit organization that has worked with our residents.

Join us on Wednesday!

Facebook Link : The Rock Club, Music is the Remedy

Congratulations from EngAGE to Helene and the LBSAC residents!

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