EngAGE changes lives by transforming affordable senior and family housing communities into vibrant centers of art & creativity, learning, and wellness.
EngAGE is thankful for the support of our many Funding Partners, Developer Partners, and Programming Partners, as well as our Management Partners at each of our communities, and the dedicated members of our EngAGE California and EngAGE Northwest Boards of Directors.
We are thankful for the continuing inspiration we receive from our community residents who have been so motivated and resilient as they cope with the restrictions imposed during the pandemic.
And we are thankful for you, our readers and subscribers, who help sustain us with your continued interest in our mission to create community and change lives by transforming affordable senior and multigenerational housing communities into vibrant centers of learning, wellness, and creativity.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our special month of “Thankful” posts!
[Thanks to Administrative Assistant Jennifer Fallon for the great “Month of Thanksgiving” idea. Thanks for making it happen go to Jennifer; Cynthia Friedlob, Websites & Social Media Manager; and the EngAGE staff who contributed content.]
EngAGE is thankful for our wonderful food delivery partners who provide a vital service made even more significant during the pandemic. Megan Hocking, LA County Food Coordinator/Burbank Senior Arts Colony Program Director, reports:
The residents of our communities are so grateful to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. Because of their support, EngAGE has been able to provide food security to hundreds of older adults and families in need at 15 communities. Their monthly deliveries of non-perishable pantry staples give residents healthy options to stretch their monthly food budgets.
Megan Hocking, LA County Food Coordinator/Burbank Senior Artists Colony Program Director, with residents at Burbank Senior Artists Colony
Armando Martos, LA Food Distribution Coordinator with resident at Buckingham Senior Apartments in Los Angeles
The restrictions imposed because of the COVID-19 pandemic hit our communities hard, and when EngAGE requested additional resources from LA Regional Food Bank, they stepped up. Together we increased the number of residents served from 700 to over 1000—and growing. Their staff is always willing to work together to come up with ways to best serve our residents. We appreciate their hard work and dedication.
EngAGE is thankful for our wonderful food delivery partners who provide a vital service made even more significant during the pandemic. Dr. Kathleen Sullivan, Regional Director, EngAGE Northwest, reports:
In the midst of a pandemic, economic decline and a country that is so stridently divided it is easy to focus on the negative. This November, EngAGE NW is taking a moment to thank our local partner organizations who help residents of Cascadian Terrace stay healthy with good and nutritious food. Community Development Partners, the owners of Cascadian Terrace, had an awesome idea: build a world class kitchen and rent it to a catering company for free. The catch was the company had to provide meals for the residents at Cascadian Terrace for free. The program is called, A Free Catered Meal For YOU. Each Thursday, EngAGE NW and local restaurant, My Vice, coordinate feeding 65 residents with healthy, freshly made, gourmet meals. Since April of this year My Vice has cooked and EngAGE NW has delivered over 1,600 meals to residents. My Vice will soon increase from four meals a month to eight meals a month and the plan, eventually, is to provide lunch free to residents every day at Cascadian Terrace.
We are also grateful for our long-standing partnership with MainSpring Food Pantry. As need increased across the county due to the pandemic, the MainSpring staff and volunteers literally sprang into action; they currently provide food to over 2,000 Portlanders each day. MainSpring not only provides Cascadian Terrace with supplies for our food pantry, they also provide monthly food boxes for residents 62 and older at Cascadian Terrace. MainSpring also donated over 500 pounds of food to start the free catered lunch program.
Kathleen M. Sullivan, Program Director/Regional Director EngAGE Northwest
EngAGE is thankful for our wonderful food delivery partners who provide a vital service made even more significant during the pandemic. Dr. Kathleen Sullivan, Regional Director, EngAGE Northwest, reports:
This year as the pandemic has caused pain, suffering and illness across our region and state; we are especially thankful that it has not reached Patton Home in Portland, OR. This positive outcome is one that the management company, Guardian, and EngAGE NW are working to maintain through vigilance.
Currently, all units of Patton Home as well as common areas inside and out are being renovated. That means more upheaval for residents as they move out of their homes, into a temporary apartment for a week, then move back to their newly remodeled apartments. Residents have been incredibly resilient, and a special thanks goes to our development partner, Community Development Partners (CDP). EngAGE NW, with the support of CDP, created goodie bags for each resident to ease the moving experience. The goodie bags are assembled by EngAGE NW and Guardian distributes one to each resident. Each bag includes a gift card, mug, some candy, calendar for 2021 and hygiene items.
We are also thankful for our partner, Mainspring. When EngAGE NW started working at Patton Home in July we asked Mainspring if they would extend their service to include that community. Mainspring provides canned food to residents currently and will do more once the kitchens are completed there. Additionally, we are thankful to Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon for providing healthy daily lunch to residents at a discounted price. Finally, we are grateful for the continued partnership and the good work of the Oregon Food Bank that provides food to local communities throughout Oregon.
Kathleen M. Sullivan, Program Director/Regional Director EngAGE Northwest
EngAGE is thankful for our wonderful food delivery partners who provide a vital service made even more significant during the pandemic. Laura Sardisco, Orange County Food Program Coordinator/Long Beach Senior Arts Colony Social Services Coordinator reports:
2020 has been a year of uncertainty, bringing emotional and physical challenges to all of us. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and self-quarantine, we have seen a roughly 280% increase in demand for food. Our partners in Orange County really stepped up to help us ensure that our residents had enough to eat during these difficult times.
Orange County Food Bank delivery
We are grateful for our long-standing partnerships with Orange County Food Bank and Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, both of which sprang into action to serve more residents at Cotton’s Point, Coventry Court, Dorado, Grove, Jasmine, and Long Beach Senior Arts Colony senior apartment communities in Orange County and Long Beach, CA, helping them stay healthy with good and nutritious food.
We are also thankful for World Central Kitchen which stepped in to meet the increased need at Long Beach Senior Arts Colony in a way that no other organization could. World Central Kitchen came up with the novel idea to partner with local restaurants, such as Lola’s Mexican Cuisine and The Ordinarie, to provide individually packaged, fresh meals. They were delivered to residents’ doors every week, so that they didn’t have to venture outside. The program both provides restaurant workers and drivers with work, and the residents with delicious food.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were providing supplemental food resources to roughly 200 residents. At the start of the pandemic, this increased to almost 900 people practically overnight. Yet through our partnerships with Orange County Food Bank, Second Harvest, and World Central Kitchen, we have been able to provide residents with the equivalent of over 25,000 meals per month!
Our wonderful partners deliver not only food, but also hope. While delivering the weekly meals provided by World Central Kitchen at Long Beach Senior Arts Colony, a resident told me, “These meals each week are so delicious and give me something to look forward to. No matter what else happens during the week, at least I know that I’m going to have a delicious lunch on Thursday.” At Cotton’s Point, one resident told us: “Thank you for bringing me hope, because hope never dies.”
Dr. Thomas Cudjoe is an Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in the Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology and Core Faculty at the JHU Center on Aging and Health. He is board certified internal medicine and geriatric medicine. In addition, Dr. Cudjoe is a Major in the US Army Reserves, a participant in the inaugural cohort of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Leaders Program and serves on board of the East Baltimore Community School- Henderson Hopkins. In 2019, Dr. Cudjoe was appointed as a Commissioner to the Baltimore City Commission on Aging and Retirement Education. Dr. Cudjoe is actively engaged in the medical care of homebound older adults via the Johns Hopkins Home Based Medicine program. Dr. Cudjoe is a recipient of the National Institute on Aging Grants for Early Medical/Surgical Specialists’ Transition to Aging Research. Dr. Cudjoe is focused on understanding how social factors influence the health of older adults and developing strategies to improve the health trajectory of older adults. His research has focused on identifying risk factors for social isolation and currently examines the relationship between social connections and health outcomes.
Dr. Cudjoe received his undergraduate degree (summa cum laude) in Cellular and Molecular Biology at Hampton University and was active in the Honors College and Army ROTC program (Distinguished Military Graduate-Top 20% of Graduates in Nation). He graduated from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and earned his master’s degree in public health in health policy at Harvard School of Public Health. He completed his internal medicine residency Internal Medicine at Howard University Hospital in Washington DC. He completed clinical and research fellowship in the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
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.
Cathy Trout, Program Director (Buckingham, Metro@Hollywood)
Cathy Trout’s wide-ranging experience in graphic design, fundraising, and technology meshed with her advocacy interests, resulting in work with a youth conservation corps, an arts program, and currently a charter school network. Her energy is focused on promoting change, connectivity, and opportunity through programming at her EngAGE communities.
Sandra Vargas, Regional Program Director (Bella Vita, Vermont, Metro@Chinatown, Metro@Compton)
Sandra Vargas‘ background in family and substance abuse counseling provides her with the compassion to create, connect, and problem-solve with her diverse communities. Sandra also assists her 16-year-old son with his ongoing non-profit project, N.O.L.C. (No One Left Cold). Throughout the year, they collect unwanted blankets, clothes, and shoes, and twice a year distribute them to the Skid Row Community.
Helene Weinberg, Program Director (Long Beach Senior Arts Colony/LBSAC and Pacific Avenue Arts Colony/PacArts)
Helene Weinberg is an award-winning musical cabaret artist, actor, radio host, coach, and writer. She inspires her residents at LBSAC and PacArts to explore and discover their own talents, then helps them beautifully showcase those talents through acting and musical performances, and art shows.
Thomas M. Wheatley, CPA, CFO
Tom Wheatley brings a wealth of knowledge and extensive experience to his position as EngAGE’s chief finance and operations executive. Tom cultivates a cohesive approach to the organizational financing of EngAGE, ensuring that we can fulfill our important mission to serve our communities.
Alma Wright, HR/Finance Assistant, Program Director (Magnolia@Highland)
Alma Wright is an artist, interior decorator, and photographer. She loves working with her hands and has tried everything from portrait drawing to reupholstering old furniture. In addition to her Program Director and art teacher roles for EngAGE, for the last few years, Alma also has been responsible for most human resource and accounts payable tasks, but working closely with her community residents remains her true calling.
Meredith Yuan, Program Director, Northern CA(Huntington, 808 A St.)
Meredith Yuan‘s experience in the non-profit world ranges from working with the homeless community to traveling internationally to provide education, medical clinics, food, and clothing to underprivileged areas. She has compassion for people in all walks of life and approaches her work with humility. She is excited about making an impact by helping residents realize their full potential.
Polet Zargarian, Art Teacher (BSAC, Cantabria/Asturias, Andalucia, La Coruña, NoHo SAC, Park Plaza, Piedmont, Parc Derian)
Polet Zargarian was born in Iran, and grew up in Germany before coming to the US at the age of 17. In addition to teaching art at multiple communities for EngAGE, she has a boutique photography/commercial art/design business. Her artistic talent and generous, supportive teaching style encourage residents to overcome their fears and physical disabilities while practicing their art.
