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Bridges Community Action Partnership (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Transportation
└ Expansion and enhancement of transportation options
└ Expansion and enhancement of transportation options
Older adults struggled to reach grocery stores and pharmacies because the community circulator ran only once a week. The project added a second weekly route, hired a licensed driver and enlisted volunteers to help riders with bags. The expanded service connected residents to stores, doctors and the Senior Center, giving them more flexibility and reducing isolation. Riders said the change "helped them feel more independent," and some visited the center for the first time, enjoying activities and socializing without worrying about transportation.
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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See More Projects Like This One
Tallahassee, FL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Expansion and enhancement of transportation options
Description: Transportation barriers in Leon County left many older adults missing medical appointments and struggling with food insecurity. The project provided over 600 rides for people age 50-plus to health care, food pantries and essential services, improving access and reducing stress. Nearly half of the trips were for food, and others connected veterans to VA care. One rider said the program let her visit her church pantry safely and gave her a reliable transportation option.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Marion, OH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Expansion and enhancement of transportation options
Description: The Council on Aging expanded medical rides so older adults could reach out-of-county appointments in a region with limited transit and few alternatives. Using lift-equipped vehicles, the team delivered thousands of trips, including dozens of out-of-county rides each month. They tracked one-way trips, mileage and unique riders. The donation-based model removed financial screening and raised awareness as demand grew. The program prompted multi-year contracts through 2027 to continue out-of-county trips, improving access to health care, reducing isolation and helping riders keep treatment schedules.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Washington, DC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Expansion and enhancement of transportation options
Description: Many older adults with limited mobility struggle to reach affordable food, health services and social activities without reliable transportation. Seabury Resources for Aging expanded shuttle service focused on food access, offering regular group trips to community food markets and affordable grocery stores. The predictable rides allowed older adults to shop for foods they prefer while traveling with peers. Partner sites described the shuttle as essential, noting that these outings are the only way some older adults are able to leave their homes. By restoring routes and strengthening partnerships, the project reduced isolation and laid groundwork for sustained, older-adult-focused transportation that supports independence over time.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Delaware, OH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Unity Park lacked safe gathering spaces and fitness options for older adults in an underserved neighborhood. The project added accessible fitness stations, a shade structure and a programming fitness area on a cushioned surface. It also put in benches and safety lighting to make the space inviting. These improvements introduced older adult recreation and created a venue for health programs in partnership with local agencies. One resident said, "I appreciate that there are benches and equipment that are accessible to people of all ages." Plans for a loop trail and additional amenities will expand opportunities for active living.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Delaware County, OH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: To give older adult residents of an affordable housing complex a space to gather, SourcePoint and Age-Friendly Delaware County created an accessible community garden. Volunteers installed raised beds to enable gardeners to work without needing to kneel down. Additionally, they laid an ADA-complaint crushed gravel path, added accessible benches and erected an aluminum fence around the space. Today, St. Michael's Community Garden hosts programming for gardeners and non-gardeners alike, including healthy cooking classes. Project organizers say the garden has helped combat social isolation, and senior housing residents now grow produce in their own backyard, which helps reduce their grocery bills.
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