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Akron, OH

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: This project will create a vibrant plaza connecting Peoples Park with a mixed-use development. The space will promote active aging, mental stimulation, and social ties through dedicated programming for people age 50-plus.

Amherst, MA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: This project will add seating, lighting, and greenery to create a safer, more accessible, and inviting plaza. This revitalized area near senior housing and a community center will foster social connections for older adults.

San Jose, CA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: The COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted the local economy in San Jose's Washington neighborhood. To help meet the community's needs, Veggielution hosted free arts and environmental education programming. The local nonprofit, which aims to connect people through food and farming, invited people to the SoFa pocket park, which the organization created on the site of an underused parking lot. Events included a monthly garden art workshop and live musical and theater performances by local arts organizations. Additionally, Veggielution worked with a local arts school to create a mural for the pocket park. The activities helped link residents to resources, such as food assistance and entrepreneurship training, and connected local nonprofit organizations to each other, creating a better web of support for the community.

Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects

Westwood, NJ

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: To provide a safe and enjoyable gathering space, the Borough of Westwood created a parklet. Meant to sit in the footprint of a parking space, the parklet was designed to give people of all ages, ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds a place to sit and relax in Westwood's central business district.

Englewood, NJ

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Public art installations

Description: After a local ordinance update to allow murals in Englewood, the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation set out to create public art celebrating Black women's history. The Foundation commissioned an artist to create the Black Women's Mural Project's first installation, which celebrates the work of Black suffragists who fought to expand voting rights to women. Two community engagements coincided with the mural's installation, where community members could watch the artist work. Participants learned more about the artists' vision and the history informing the subject matter. Organizers invited residents to share their feedback and personal stories. Additionally, the Foundation provided information on registering to vote, as well as polling locations and hours. To celebrate the new artwork, they also produced a documentary about the mural.

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