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Amherst County (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Park enhancements
└ Park enhancements
Older adults lacked inclusive, low-impact recreation options, and temporary courts limited year-round play. The county built a permanent bocce court with ADA features, including a hinged entry for mobility aids, and added benches and equipment. A grand opening introduced the court to the community, creating a safe space for social connection and physical activity. The design reduces fall risks and fosters inclusion. One participant using a walker said she was thrilled with the ease of accessing the court, underscoring its role in helping residents stay active and engaged.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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Seattle, WA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Pickleball's surge in Seattle left many lined courts without nets, limiting access for older adults who relied on the sport for fitness and social connection. To address this, the association installed five semi-permanent nets at three sites, including lighted courts for evening play, and organized free clinics for beginners and women-only sessions. These efforts transformed neglected spaces into active hubs, prompting community funding to add more nets and complete two major centers. Today, residents enjoy year-round play and multigenerational gatherings. As one participant shared, "The laughter and smiles brought from engaging pickleball in safe communities was heartwarming."
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Tolland, CT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: To give older adults in Tolland an outdoor space to gather and spend time, the Tolland Conservation Commission created a new park. The Commission worked with landscape architecture students at University of Connecticut to design Wanat Senior Park, a 13-acre area with accessible woodland trails, space for stargazing, a wheelchair-accessible meadow trail and meditative labyrinth. Engagement with older adults, including a design charrette and guided site tour, informed plans for the park. Volunteers of all ages planted vegetation and helped install hardscaping. The park features a pollinator garden, ADA-compliant benches and a variety of native plants. Public art -- including a sculpture of a heron and a sundial -- welcome visitors to the space.
Lake Placid, FL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: This project installed a 10-station fitness trail exercise system in the MLK Sports Field in Highway Park -- the only such amenity in Highlands County. Meant to help residents improve their physical health through stretching, flexing and balancing, the trail also acts as a destination for residents and seasonal visitors to socialize. For years the Highway Park Preservation and Enhancement District requested amenities to enhance the park without much success. But securing funding for the fitness trail spurred the County to invest in Highland Park, including adding drinking fountains, repainting fencing, cleaning up graffiti and resurfacing the softball diamond. In addition, two successful crowdfunding campaigns allowed for installation of restrooms and a new sunshade for the park's playground.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Lynchburg, VA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Residents wanted to use the Dunbar Community Schoolyard for walking and gathering, but unclear access and a lack of signage made the large campus feel uncertain and underused. The City of Lynchburg installed a pedestrian wayfinding system at key entrances, using clear, large-format signs to welcome public use and guide people through the space. The project helped residents understand how the schoolyard could be used outside school hours. Older adults shared memories tied to the campus and expressed renewed optimism about its future. The wayfinding system strengthened coordination among city staff, schools and residents and marked an early step toward broader improvements that support regular use of the space.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Lynchburg, VA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: To organizers with the Downtown Lynchburg Association, an underused, dead-end street had potential to draw visitors downtown. The Association transformed the space into Art Alley -- a vibrant, outdoor art gallery. To activate the space, volunteers covered the pavement in turquoise, orange, pink and green paint. They also set up string lights overhead to provide illumination. Finally, they created the Spark Joy Gallery by installing panels that display digital artworks. Project organizers say the placemaking effort has since inspired nearby property owners to spruce up their building facades, and the Art Alley has become a must-see for tourists passing through town.
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