Roanoke, VA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023

Project Category: Addressing community health

Description: Older adults in Roanoke lacked safe outdoor spaces for exercise and social connection, increasing isolation and health risks. The Local Office on Aging built an outdoor fitness area with specialized equipment, shaded seating and fall-resistant surfaces. The space now hosts balance workshops and social gatherings, helping older adults improve mobility and reduce isolation. Future plans include a paved walking track and volunteer-led sessions to guide equipment use. As one participant said, "This is a great need for our senior community, and I am looking forward to having a safe place to exercise with my friends."

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

Denver, CO

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Addressing community health

Description: There is no shortage of underutilized urban land in Jefferson, Denver and Boulder Counties and no shortage of residents in need of fresh fruits and vegetables. Established by a group of farmers, researchers, teachers, business leaders and activists, Sprout City Farms works to increase food access and community resiliency by farming unused plots within the region. This project jumpstarted monthly workshops designed to connect residents with the local food system, along with virtual events to introduce people to Sprout City's community farming model. Additionally, the organization provided fresh produce to community members through its pay-what-you-can farm stands. The nonprofit also donated its harvest to the OUR Center in Longmont, with supplied 300 households with fruit and vegetables each week. To reach residents in their neighborhoods, Sprout City's e-bicycle-powered Sprout 'n About veggie mobiles made deliveries of fresh produce.

Portland, OR

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Addressing community health

Description: This project created four COVID-19 Asian Response Teams to conduct outreach to community members at high risk during the pandemic. Made up of community health workers and behavior health counselors, each team's members were proficient in a different language. This allowed the Asian Health Service Center to provide over-the-phone counselling services, wellness checkups and basic emotional support in Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese and English. In additions, the teams provided up-to-date COVID safety information and delivered culturally relevant groceries to participants. when vaccinations became available, the outreach teams pivoted to provide accurate information to clients in their native languages.