Creativity, Gratitude, Hope: EngAGE Responds to COVID-19

EngAGE staff, teachers, and residents of the communities we serve have risen to the occasion and met the demands of a world faced with COVID-19. Our classes are now available virtually, our vital food program continues, our teachers are being more creative than ever, and our residents have delighted us with their resiliency and willingness to adapt. This compilation of video messages features EngAGE CEO/Founder Tim Carpenter, Food Program Assistant/Teacher Miles Morse, BSAC resident Sally Connors, Poetry Instructor Oshea Luja (Food for Thought), Art Instructor Polet Zargarian, EngAGE COO Nancy Goodhart, and Program/Gallery Director Ben Evans. It also includes a new message from our video editor, Miles Smith-Camacho, age 14, whose involvement makes this a perfect example of intergenerational creativity.

Posted in Art/Architecture, Community, Food Assistance, FYI, Health, Tim Carpenter, Video, Writing/Storytelling | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Reminder: Tim Carpenter at Social Isolation Summit 7/1

Isolation and Loneliness:
A Crisis We Can Solve Together

FUELING COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS TO TACKLE ISOLATION AND LONELINESS
AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN THE AGE OF COVID-19

Join us for inspirational stories, innovative approaches, tools, and resources to help us all respond to the needs of older adults now. With an emphasis on the role of practical solutions and opportunities for collaboration, the conference will frame the issue, share reports from the frontlines, and spotlight strategies being successfully deployed including a virtual innovation showcase. 

WHY NOW
As public officials urge people to stay home and maintain social distance to combat the spread of COVID-19, we’ve seen a heightened risk of social isolation and loneliness among people of all ages, especially among older adults.

More than one of four adults aged 50 to 80 reported that they felt isolated even before the outbreak, MPTF and the Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging have joined together to host this conference because we believe, now more than ever, aging service and other community-based organizations seek inspiration and tangible ideas of what they can do right away to reduce loneliness among older adults. ~ Register here.

SPEAKERS

  • Donna Benton, PhD, USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology
  • Tim Carpenter, EngAGE
  • Marc Freedman, Encore.org 
  • Scott Kaiser, MD, MPTF 
  • Carla Perissinotto, MD, MHS, UCSF Health System 
  • Sam Polk, EveryTable 
  • Lisa Marsh Ryerson, AARP Foundation
  • Kim McCoy Wade, JD, California Department of Aging
  • Trent Stamp, Eisner Foundation 
  • Nora Super, Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging
  • Laura Trejo MSG, MPA, City of Los Angeles Department of Aging 
  • With additional appearances from key leaders and influencers delivering messages on the critical importance of this work   
  • INTRODUCTION by Bob Beitcher, President and CEO MPTF
Posted in Health, Tim Carpenter | Tagged , | Leave a comment

EngAGE Welcomes Liz Schwarte to National Board of Directors

We are pleased to announce the addition of Liz Schwarte to our esteemed EngAGE National Board of Directors. You can see the entire list of dedicated members here.

Liz Schwarte, Co-principal of Ad Lucem Consulting, has dedicated her career to community-based health promotion, equity and disease prevention through policy, systems and environmental change. Ad Lucem provides strategic consultation to a range of clients including foundations, public health departments, health systems, and non-profits.

Liz has extensive experience in strategic planning, initiative design, philanthropic advising/grants management, program implementation and refinement, formative research and evaluation. Her areas of expertise include aging, Alzheimer’s disease, caregiving, healthy eating and active living, chronic disease prevention, public health leadership and practice, social and emotional health and wellness, and community engagement.

Liz holds a Master’s in Public Health from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She previously served on the boards of Bethany Center Senior Housing and Ruth’s Table, a community creative arts and wellness program, both in San Francisco. She is active in several philanthropic collaboratives focused on grantmaking for older adults. Her passions include cooking, the arts and music, running, and family.

Posted in Board of Directors | Tagged , | Leave a comment

EngAGE Continues Virtual Programming Through July

Members of Instructor Sarah Jacobus’ virtual writing class at Burbank Senior Artists Colony respond to a prompt asking what they’re doing daily to help get through sheltering in place.

As we begin to think about the future of EngAGE programming in our affordable senior and multi-generational communities, July will launch our initial phase, with the focus on assessing each community that we serve and opportunities to deliver small group, physically distanced programming in the safest way possible. Our goal is to slowly and gradually introduce programming in community spaces, with the health and safety of residents and staff as our primary concern.

Our decisions and plans will be informed by:
1. State and County directives
2. Advice from experts in the medical, health/wellness, and aging service fields
3. Data from detailed Community Space Assessments

As always, collaboration with our developer and management partners will help us facilitate a return to in-person programming in a responsible way.

Learn more about EngAGE’s response to COVID-19 here on our website.

Posted in Community, Community News, FYI | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“Post Pride” Virtual Art Show on ace/121 Gallery Website

Artist: Shelly Heffler
WeHo
18″ x 16″
banners from past gay pride parades

Post Pride marks the first exhibition for many of the artists featured here since quarantine. The show was conceived before COVID-19 hit, and quarantine seemed to make its themes all the more relevant. As we neared the deadline for submissions, George Floyd was killed and another series of submissions came in. The nine artists featured in the show reflect myriad meditations on queerness and Pride with a particular focus for some on social and racial issues, highlighting the intersectional themes that Pride has come to represent.” ~ Ben Evans, Curator/Director ace/121 Gallery. Learn more and see the show at ace121gallery.com

Posted in ACE/121 (Glendale), Art/Architecture, Community News | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Live Experience Talks Zoomcast: EngAGE CEO Tim Carpenter & TimeSlips Founder Anne Basting, PhD

Click here to register!

Posted in Experience Talks, Health, Tim Carpenter | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Tim Carpenter at Social Isolation Impact Summit July 1st

Amidst a viral pandemic, physical distancing, and increasingly turbulent times, we’ve experienced a dramatic rise in isolation and loneliness in people of all ages, especially older adults. More than one of four adults aged 50 to 80 reported that they felt isolated even before the outbreak. MPTF and the Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging have joined together to host this conference because now, more than ever, aging service and other community-based organizations seek inspiration and tangible ideas of what they can do right away to reduce loneliness among older adults. ~ Register here.

SPEAKERS

  • Donna Benton, PhD, USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology
  • Tim Carpenter, EngAGE
  • Marc Freedman, Encore.org 
  • Scott Kaiser, MD, MPTF 
  • Carla Perissinotto, MD, MHS, UCSF Health System 
  • Sam Polk, EveryTable 
  • Lisa Marsh Ryerson, AARP Foundation
  • Kim McCoy Wade, JD, California Department of Aging
  • Trent Stamp, Eisner Foundation 
  • Nora Super, Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging
  • Laura Trejo MSG, MPA, City of Los Angeles Department of Aging 
  • With additional appearances from key leaders and influencers delivering messages on the critical importance of this work   
  • INTRODUCTION by Bob Beitcher, President and CEO MPTF

Event Sponsor

Posted in FYI, Tim Carpenter | Tagged , , | Leave a comment