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Anchorage Park Foundation (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Park enhancements
└ Park enhancements
Folker Park is a 2-acre urban forest located within the city of Anchorage. The park is adjacent to intergenerational living facilities and in the past was used by people of all ages. However, many of the park's volunteer caretakers have stopped routine maintenance, leaving many areas overgrown and essentially unusable. To improve the park, the Anchorage Park Foundation installed six outdoor musical instruments, a reflexology footpath, a healing maze and age-accessible fitness equipment. They also gathered volunteers to weed garden beds, pick up trash and plant flowers. Today, the park a central hub for the community once again, and a source of pride for residents.
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Valley City, ND
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Park enhancements
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Malad City, ID
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Older adults in Malad lacked safe pickleball courts, forcing play on deteriorating tennis courts or indoors at inconvenient hours. The city built eight regulation courts with fencing in Malad City Park, with volunteers-mostly age 50-plus-helping pour concrete, install nets and stripe courts. The new space is used daily and has sparked local tournaments, drawing players from teens to those in their 80s. "Pickleball is alive and well in Malad," one longtime player said, reflecting how the project boosted health, recreation and community life. Plans include adding lighting and benches for comfort.
Spearfish, SD
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: This project will create accessible, multi-use trails for all ages. Designed for walkers, runners and cyclists, these trails will promote health, with features that accommodate people with physical impairments.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Anchorage, AK
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Housing Choice Design Competitions
Description: Anchorage's shortage of small multi-family housing with accessible units leaves older adults few options to age in place. To address this, a design competition engaged architects, builders and aging experts to create realistic plans for 2-4 unit homes with ground-floor accessibility. Designs were unveiled at public events, including a First Friday showcase that drew nearly 1,500 attendees and sparked dialogue on housing solutions. Two designs could be built under current codes, and one resident shared, "I love my mom living with us...I would always choose to have my mom live with us."
Anchorage, AK
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: In Anchorage's Fairview neighborhood, older adults faced hazardous winter walks as snow buried sidewalks and bus stops, forcing them into traffic. A pilot project organized five Snowfighters who cleared sidewalks after three major storms, installed snow markers and delivered flyers to 50 homes. Their work restored safe routes to nearby housing and transit stops, allowing older adults to walk without risking icy streets. Residents praised the effort for improving safety and community connection and plans are underway to expand the volunteer program to other blocks for lasting winter mobility solutions.
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