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Arlee Community Development Corporation (2023) Print
2023 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Park enhancements
└ Park enhancements
Older adults in Arlee lacked places to gather, leaving many isolated from community life. That changed when picnic tables and benches were added to the new garden site, giving residents a spot to rest, share stories and watch volunteers harvest more than 4,600 pounds of fresh produce. Three generations joined cleanup and planting events, turning the space into a hub for connection. Older adults now have a welcoming place to join the conversation, and plans for an expanded garden and orchard promise even more opportunities to strengthen ties and advance food sovereignty.
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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West St. Paul, MN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Kennedy Park was underused and lacked features for all ages, leaving older adults without inviting spaces. The city hosted three engagement events - a community meal, a movie night and a paint-the-pavement mural. These were attended by more than 200 participants. It also added a recreation trailer for pop-up activities and commissioned an artist-designed bench to provide seating. These efforts rebuilt trust and shaped a new concept plan for the park, sparked an arts initiative and secured new funding. One resident said that they were extremely thankful the designs reflected the community's vision.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Foley, AL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Organizers thought Foley Park -- a small green space next to a middle school -- had untapped potential. Foley Main Street and the City of Foley transformed the park into a local music destination. Redubbing the space Freenotes Harmony Park, Foley Main Street installed a collection of outdoor musical instruments, including contrabass chimes, an orange swirl, a yellow imbraimba and rainbow drums. The instruments are designed to be easy to play -- similar to a xylophone, the imbarimba has 22 fiberglass keys of varying lengths, which sit atop metal chimes. Visitors can play the instrument by striking the keys with the attached mallets. The instruments weren't the only upgrade to the pocket park. The City also assed an amphitheater with lights, power outlets and an ADA-compliant stage. Since their installation, the instruments have created an outdoor classroom for middle school students on weekdays, as well as a gathering place for residents of all ages on evenings and weekends.
West Point, KY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: This project will install ADA-compliant sidewalks and benches, making a local park more accessible to older adults and visitors with mobility challenges. The museum in the park welcomes 200 visitors each month, many of whom are older adults.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Missoula, MT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: Missoula County officials hoped to demonstrate options for improved pedestrian access to East Missoula's downtown. Staff and volunteers put out straw bales, planters and trees to calm traffic, as well as create a temporary bike and walking path near a popular store and service station. They also set up a pop-up park. They also set up an area with picnic tables, canopies and umbrellas. Food trucks and a banner helped attract visitors to the event, along with sidewalk games, face painting and mural making. Attendees could see how possible future safety improvements would work and were invited to provide feedback. Project organizers report the demonstration helped secure buy-in from nearby business owners, who had previously expressed skepticism about changes to the streetscape. Since the event, the County has working to permanently implement the interventions envisioned during the event, including forming long-term plans to reconstruct a major highway corridor.
Missoula, MT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Transportation Other
Description: Missoula In Motion addressed speeding and unsafe crossings on neighborhood greenways that older adults and other residents use to reach schools, parks and local services. Although the city had installed traffic calming features, conflicts between drivers and people walking continued, especially at busy intersections. The project added two artist-designed street murals at key crossings, created with hands-on help from residents during an open streets event and volunteer paint days that included older adults. The murals increased visibility and signaled that the streets are shared spaces, prompting drivers to slow and pay attention. One community leader said, “This intersection has become the primary crossing zone for kids coming to and from school... the mural is helping to make it a safer street.†The changes made crossings feel more predictable and comfortable for people of all ages and strengthened community support for ongoing traffic safety efforts.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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