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Central Falls, RI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Central Falls has little green space and faces heat and health challenges, leaving older adults without safe outdoor areas. The project revitalized Phillips Street Park with raised garden beds, a paved patio, shade structure and seating, including chess tables and benches. A musical play feature was added for children, creating a multigenerational space for gardening, learning and socializing. One 50-plus neighbor said that she thought this park and the project itself was exactly what Central Falls needed, reflecting strong community support.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Dennis, MA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Dennis Center for Active Living added an accessible outdoor patio to address the lack of space for social activities, a need heightened by pandemic isolation. The project built a 20x20 concrete platform with a wheelchair-accessible ramp, installed benches and placed six raised garden beds. Volunteers helped assemble furniture and plant flowers. The patio now hosts picnics, gardening and intergenerational events. "The DCAL Garden Patio is icing on the cake," said the project director, noting it fulfills a long-held vision for an inviting, inclusive gathering place.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Woonsocket, RI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: This project transformed the area outside the Aging Well older adult center into a safe, inviting space for outdoor exercise, as well as a gathering place.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Somerville, NJ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: This project paired local youth with graduate students to evaluate walkability and bikeability in Somerset. Youth ambassadors engaged with members of their community to identify barriers to walking and biking, as well as opportunities to make active transportation safer and more comfortable. Based on their findings, the students decided to construct a parklet in Somerville's Bound Brook neighborhood. The mini-park -- which sits in the footprint of a parking spot -- extends the sidewalk space into the roadway. The parklet is modular, allowing the student ambassadors to set it up at community events, including weekly farmers market and movie nights. Organizers hope the temporary space offers residents an attractive place to stop, sit and to rest while taking in activities on the street. Youth who participated in the project worked alongside local leaders and made intergenerational connections -- all while learning how to advocate for their community.
Middlesex, NJ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: Disaster Resilience Other
Description: The borough will distribute emergency readiness kits to residents age 50-plus through the local Senior Center. Kits include basic supplies and guidance to help older adults prepare for severe weather, power outages and other emergencies.
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