See More Projects Like This One

El Rito, NM

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: The El Rito Library has long been a gathering place for residents of rural Rio Arriba County -- an area of New Mexico that lacks public spaces for people to socialize. To make its campus more inviting, the library added benches, bike repair stations, tables and chairs and native landscaping to its outdoor space. Organizers hope the improvements allow visitors to deepen social connections with one another. In the future, the library plans to add to the upgrades by constructing a stage for performances and exploring the possibility of installing solar panels.

Woodville, MS

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: This project will equip a rural public library with automatic doors and an access ramp, enhancing accessibility and safety for all residents, especially those age 50 and over.

Richford, VT

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: Richford lacked outdoor spaces for older adults to socialize and stay active, leaving many isolated despite frequent visits to the health center. The project created an outdoor Welcome Center with seating, raised garden beds, an informational kiosk and a lending pantry. Weather-resistant tables and umbrellas encourage outdoor meals and community interaction. Residents now enjoy a scenic, accessible space for gatherings and health-focused events. One staff member shared how his mother, a housing tenant, now joins him for lunch outside-a simple change fostering connection and well-being.

Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.

Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects

Columbus, OH

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Public place improvements to withstand extreme weather events

Description: To reduce the urban heat island effect, Friends of the lower Olentangy Watershed planted large canopy trees at an elementary school playground and near a housing complex. The area has traditionally lacked tree cover, with the nearby properties having the least canopy cover of any residential area in the local watershed. The new trees increased the local canopy from 7 percent to 22 percent -- the average for Columbus as a whole. Volunteers -- including local Scouts -- helped plant the trees. In addition, project organizers installed benches at the playground to provide a respite to teachers, children and families using the playground equipment.

Columbus, OH

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: The International Harvest Garden lacked shade and seating, leaving gardeners age 50-plus and families without a comfortable place to rest or gather. The project added a picnic table with side access for mobility aids, a shade trellis and improved walkways for easier navigation. These upgrades will support cultural events and reduce isolation, with volunteers saying the changes will make the garden "a sanctuary as well as a place of growth and education."

Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.

LEARN MORE AND STAY INFORMED

Find articles and resources about making communities more livable for people of all ages

people icon

Download or order free publications from AARP Livable Communities

download icon

Sign up for the free, weekly, award-winning AARP Livable Communities eNewsletter

mail icon

Don't see your community listed?

LEARN HOW IT CAN JOIN THE NETWORK

Connect with your AARP State Office

AARP has offices in all 50 states as well as in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

AARP Ohio State Office

17 S. High Street
Suite 800
Columbus, OH 43215
United States

Phone: 866-389-5653
Fax: 614-224-9801
Email: [email protected]