Thermopolis, WY

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Expansion and enhancement of transportation options

Description: In a county with a high share of residents age 50 and over, many older adults faced safety risks at home and limited access to clear, practical guidance on emergency preparedness. Hot Springs County Senior Citizens Center addressed these gaps through workshops, a community resource fair and direct outreach. The program reached both regular visitors and residents new to the center, including people who are homebound. The project shared hands-on safety education and distributed emergency items, supported by local fire, law enforcement and emergency management partners. The effort strengthened local coordination and helped residents better understand where to turn for help. One family later used a fire blanket received through the project during a small kitchen fire, underscoring how accessible information and basic tools can make a difference. The center plans to continue the resource fair and build on new partnerships to keep safety education visible and ongoing.

Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.

Phoenix, AZ

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Expansion and enhancement of transportation options

Description: In Phoenix, many older adults lack public transportation options and must rely on cars to get around. But organizers with Elaine report that many older adults -- and especially Black and Latino/a individuals -- don't drive or own their own cars. To address this, the nonprofit offered free, on-demand rides to medical appointments, job and housing interviews and errands, such as grocery shopping. Elaine provided more than 300 rides to unhoused and low-income older adults. The organization's drivers also received training to assist their passengers with shopping, paperwork and help them tackle the community's social support systems. Organizers report the rides specifically helped two older adult client secure stable housing.

Thayne, WY

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023

Project Category: Expansion and enhancement of transportation options

Description: Older adults in rural Wyoming often travel hundreds of miles for specialty medical care, with no public transportation and harsh weather making trips risky. The center launched a volunteer-driven program that completed 27 trips and covered more than 6,500 miles to nine facilities, enabling 29 critical appointments, including vision-saving procedures. The effort revealed a pressing need for permanent solutions. One rider said that this project provided her the only way she was able to get to Idaho Falls for medical care.

Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.