Sharing the Gift of Photography
What do you see first when you enter a building? What makes you feel at home? What makes a place feel warm and inviting, aside from the people in it?
Walk into one of CenterLight Healthcare Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly’s (PACE) eleven centers, and you will be welcomed by colorful, beautiful photography at the lobby, courtesy of Angie Lavigat, Assistant Vice President of Network and Vendor Contracting.
We spoke with Angie about what it’s like sharing the gift of photography with CenterLight PACE participants and staff. Here are some of the highlights from our conversation.
How long have you been taking photos?
I have always taken photos, even when I was young. I started taking photos professionally about 10 years ago. It’s a privilege being involved in special events in people’s lives. And now that my photographs are mostly of nature, I love capturing the beauty around us.
What do you like most about photography?
Photography is a way of freezing time. I love remembering moments captured in a single frame, those special memories and feelings evoked by pictures.
How did your photos end up at the CenterLight PACE Center lobbies?
I was working with colleagues on a special beautification project. The centers are full of life and warmth from the people in them. Our participants and staff make the sites a beautiful place to be just with who they are as people. But when you look around, the space was missing something. That is when the idea of putting up photos that our participants, staff, and visitors would enjoy and love to look at came about.
I feel honored that the pictures I took were chosen to be displayed at the sites. CenterLight is very special to me, as I have been working here for 30 years. I started taking more photos of gardens and flowers especially for this project on my own time, including ones that I took at a trip to the Desert Botanical Garden in Arizona and some from the Orange County Arboretum. It was a labor of love. I wanted to make sure that the photos are perfect, because our participants and staff deserve nothing less.
What is the best part of having your photos displayed at the CenterLight PACE centers?
At CenterLight PACE, our mission is to help enrich the lives of those we serve. I am thankful that I can be even a small part of fulfilling it every day, and that when our participants come into our PACE centers, they will see the photos I’ve taken. It’s the best feeling when I hear that the displays brought smiles to people’s faces. I even heard that someone cried after seeing the pictures. I feel emotional and very humbled knowing that I am able to share beauty through my photography, and that it has made a difference in someone’s day.
I am very rooted at CenterLight. It is like a second home to me, just like it’s a second home to our participants who attend the centers and to my coworkers. I could not think of a better place for my photography to be in, than in a place that holds such deep meaning for so many.
What would you like people to take away from looking at your photos?
When participants, staff, and visitors look at my photos, I want them to look at the beauty of nature and remember that no matter what, life is beautiful.
Enjoy a few of Angie's photos below!
(Please click on the photo to view high resolution versions.)
Art is a big part of life at CenterLight Healthcare PACE Centers. Look out for announcements regarding our Participant Art Exhibit, coming soon!
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Last updated March 17, 2025