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Bush Hills Connections Inc. (2020) Print
2020 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Community Gardens
└ Community Gardens
This project expanded community garden facilities by renovating an existing trailer to provide restrooms, an office and a classroom/meeting space. The upgrades provide indoor space where Bush Hills Connections can host gardening classes. The garden also received new pet waste stations and hand and equipment sanitation stations. The garden -- once an abandoned school property -- is located within a food desert and provides fresh produce to 200 families. Additionally, it is a popular meeting place, particularly with older adults.
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San Diego, CA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: To organizers with Bayside Community Center, a patch of dirt in Linda Vista Community Park had potential to become something more -- a community garden. First, the nonprofit presented their idea to local community groups to get neighbors' buy-in for the project. Volunteers then worked to transform the space, adding raised garden beds which are available to low- and moderate-income residents to rent. The garden serves a neighborhood considered to be a food desert and Bayside Community Center uses the garden to grow produce for families in need. The space also serves as a gathering space for neighbors, many of whom live in nearby affordable housing complexes. Additionally, organizers say the garden spurred similar projects in other city parks, leading the City of San Diego to consider streamlining its policies governing new community gardens.
Clarksville, TN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Rapid growth and shrinking lot sizes left many residents without space or knowledge to grow food, while obesity and inactivity rates underscored the need for healthy, social activities. The county converted a 7,500-square-foot plot into an ADA-accessible community garden with raised beds, tools and a shed. It hosted volunteer events in the new space to teach planting and food preparation. The garden now serves as an educational hub where families and older adults learn sustainable gardening and share meals. Partnerships with schools and master gardeners will sustain events and programs. "This project has shown me the energy and will of the community," said one organizer, reflecting its role in reducing isolation and fostering connection.
Montpelier, VT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Older residents faced barriers to affordable fresh produce and lacked a welcoming space to gather. The project launched weekly pop-up farm-stand events outside the local center, offering low-cost food grown at the city's Feast Farm. A mobile stand, shade tent and signage were added, and volunteers-including many age 50-plus-helped run events featuring music and cooking demos. The farm stand became a seasonal hub for social connection and healthy eating. One volunteer said it was "wonderful to see all the fresh produce and feel part of something." Plans include continuing the farm stand and expanding different programs.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Birmingham, AL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: REV Birmingham worked to improve a portion of 1st Avenue South in the Woodlawn neighborhood and commercial district. Along that stretch, speeding vehicles often posed a danger to pedestrians and cyclists. REV chose two blocks for a three-week test of a Compete Street design, reducing the street from four lanes in each direction to two. Reclaiming the space from the removed lanes, they added bike lanes, prominent crosswalks and parallel parking for cars. The organization used the experiment to gather data to substantiate the value of Complete Street conversions. In 2020, REV began working with city officials on several other projects to reclaim streets for pedestrian use.
Birmingham, AL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: In recent years, Birmingham's historic 4th Avenue Business District recently earned a designation as a National Monument for Civil Rights. Organizers hoped to help residents and visitors safely explore the neighborhood on foot. First, organizers conducted a walk audit to evaluate the area's pedestrian infrastructure and identify ways to improve walkability. They then worked with an artist to design pavement murals for each corner of a busy intersection, which volunteers helped paint on the pavement. The colorful sidewalk bulbouts make the crosswalk more visible to drivers, increasing pedestrian safety. Each mural pays tribute to the area's culture and history. Organizers say the placemaking effort also supports wider downtown revitalization plans. The area -- which is home to many Black-owned businesses -- hosts outdoor activities in the summer, including music and arts programming and community service days.
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