It’s founder Tim Carpenter’s birthday today, so we’re looking back at an essay he wrote for our blog in 2016 when he turned 55, an age that made him eligible to move into many of our communities. Photos: Tim with his paternal grandmother, an important influence in his life, and with his wife, Christal, in Portugal. Happy birthday! Read Tim’s essay here.
EngAGE Founder Tim Carpenter reflects on the earliest days of creating an organization that would revolutionize the way older adults live and thrive in community:
“I taught the first writing class at Heritage Park Duarte, a senior community. We did our first culminating event in Duarte, a night of personal stories performed by residents at the community center in town. Residents’ families and friends, politicians, people from the community/neighborhood, etc., came, and it was pretty revelatory that this could work to inspire people to change the way they aged and saw aging.”
That initial writing class eventually blossomed into the many classes we offer today on memoir writing, poetry, storytelling, play writing, and more. Here are a few photos from last year’s “Writing for Life” creative writing class at Burbank Senior Artists Colony, led by teaching artist Sarah Jacobus. EngAGE held a reception to celebrate the opening of a graphic display of the work from the class on the theme of “Where I’m From.” The installation was in the upstairs landing for two months for residents and visitors to enjoy.
Please click here to review a selection of photos and programming information from a very active year at our communities in California and Oregon!
EngAGE CEO Tim Carpenter’s TEDxSoCal Talk in 2012 is a great introduction to the philosophy behind our organization and explains why Tim was motivated to found it.
We are delighted to be celebrating our 25th anniversary this year!
Our remarkable journey has been made possible by our generous funders, our supportive Board of Directors, and the visionary low-income housing developers and committed management companies we work with. Thank you. Our entire dedicated EngAGE team is proud to have made life better for the residents of all ages in the communities we serve.
Tim Carpenter founded our organization in 1999 because he envisioned a better way for older adults in our society to spend their retirement years. That vision has expanded to include a better way to develop multi-generational communities. It has expanded beyond offering a single writing class in one location to serving 50 communities throughout California and Oregon by providing programming in the arts, wellness, and lifelong learning. Our signature EngAGE arts program, “EngAGE in Creativity,” is considered one of the best practices models in the country and has been funded for expansion by three major philanthropies.
After leading EngAGE for 25 years, Tim has stepped aside as our CEO and is transitioning into semi-retirement. If you missed his letter and the letter from our Board of Directors about this, you can read them here.
During this 25th anniversary year, we hope you’ll join us as we celebrate our accomplishments and share some of our favorite memories and milestones. Thank you for your interest in EngAGE.
EngAGE welcomes Brenda Miranda, Program Director/Social Service Coordinator for El Verano Apartments in Anaheim.
Brenda graduated from CSU Long Beach with a B.A. in Asian Studies and a minor in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). Prior to joining EngAGE, Brenda worked at a Family Resource Center as a Senior Program Specialist, offering programming and case management to youth, families, and older adults. In her free time, Brenda enjoys walking through Disneyland and trying out local restaurants with friends.
EngAGE is delighted to announce that Laura Spidell has accepted the position of EngAGE Northwest Executive Director. Laura’s comment: “I’m thrilled to be continuing my journey with EngAGE in this new role as we grow and expand in the Northwest. It’s an exciting time for a wonderful organization and I’m honored to be a part of it.”
Laura joined EngAGE NW in 2020 as Program Director/Social Services Coordinator and recently has served as Interim Executive Director. She previously worked as a city planner in California, focusing on community planning and housing accessibility, before moving to Portland, Oregon. Laura has also been involved with the Alzheimer’s Association and has served her community as a volunteer through her neighborhood association, farmer’s market, and her children’s school. Laura has a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from Portland State University.
