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Adopt-A-Native-Elder (2020) Print
2020 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Community Health and Economic Empowerment
└ Addressing community health
└ Addressing community health
To combat food insecurity on the Navajo Reservation, Adopt-A-Native-Elder provided food assistance and firewood vouchers to hundreds of Navajo elders. The cash assistance helped older adults access healthy, culturally appropriate food, as well as fuel for heating and cooking. During the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Navajo Nation recorded the highest per-capita rates of infection and fatalities in the U.S. To help keep older adults safe, the organization also delivered medical supply boxes, which included personal protective equipment, such as face masks.
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HI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Addressing community health
Description: At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Robin Bush stayed home, alone except for her cat. Fortunately, Bush and more than 100 additional kupuna (the Hawaiian term for grandparent or elder) found a way to develop intergenerational connections through Purpose Pals. A partnership between Hawaii's Afterschool Alliance, Age-Friendly Honolulu, Blue Zones Hawaii, and AARP, the program has matched more than 100 kupuna with young adults ages 18-24. The pairs socialize during regularly scheduled video and phone calls. The initiative takes personal interests, skills, life stories and experiences into account when making matches. Participants can then talk about anything, from favorite recipes to career advice to current events. We looked for ways to promote social connectedness and, in particular, create a more age-friendly community by fostering friendships across generations, Purpose Pals organizer Christy Nishita said.
Fullerton, CA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Addressing community health
Description: This project hosted twice-weekly training sessions on outdoor fitness equipment at four parks frequented by older adults.
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, SD
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Addressing community health
Description: Organizers wanted to ensure the Red Cloud Indian School's weekly farmers market was welcoming to elders. The Pine Ridge Reservation is a food desert, but the market offers residents access to fresh produce, as well as ingredients for traditional foods, teas and medicines. To attract older adults to the market, they launched Elder Hours, which feature traditional cooking demonstrations and other educational offerings. They also added wayfinding signage to help elders navigate to parking spaces and seating near vendors, which market organizers specifically set aside for older adults. To help people transport their purchases, Red Cloud purchased branded tote bags, which they distribute to elders who visit the market. Project organizers hope the outreach efforts help decrease longstanding health disparities among tribal members.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Ft. Defiance, AZ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public or private transit access
Description: Many Navajo Nation residents rely on public transit to get around the vast, rural reservation. The Navajo United Way, in partnership with the Navajo Transit System, installed much-needed bus shelters at key points along the system's bus routes. The shelters provide riders with shade from the hot Arizona sun and protection from the elements, including rain and wind. In addition to seating, the shelters include solar panels, which provide power for charging phones. Project organizers report they've seen an increase in ridership since the shelters went in.
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