AARP Hearing Center
AARP Livable Communities Map
Center for Creative Aging North Carolina (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Community Gardens
└ Community Gardens
Creativity as a Catalyst for Inclusion, a project of the Creative Aging Network, worked to create a community garden and outdoor classroom for community events. Assembling a team of volunteers and community activists, they cleaned up the grounds, built raised garden beds, created walking paths and planted native vegetation. A local artisan created custom benches for the garden, created from the wood of a fallen tree on the property. To bring people into the space, local artists led a series of workshops onsite. Project organizers say activities programmed for the garden are meant to be inclusive and appeal to people of all ages and abilities.
Photo Gallery
Image:
Click on a photo to learn more
See More Projects Like This One
Pablo, MT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: On the Flathead Reservation, many older adults face food insecurity and chronic health issues tied to poor nutrition. The project installed eight gardening boxes, purchased lumber for 20 more and provided seeds and soil. Volunteers built boxes and planted vegetables, creating spaces for growing food and teaching traditional preservation. The garden now supplies fresh produce to older adult meal programs and homebound older adults, improving nutrition and reducing isolation. "I was able to plant my salad vegetables with my grandchildren... They enjoyed watering, picking and tasting what we grew," one resident said.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
St. George, AK
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: On remote St. George Island, access to food is challenging. Grocery shipments arrive by plane, which are sometimes grounded due to inclement weather. This makes food insecurity a concern, especially among lower-income residents. Organizers with Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association hoped to help the community grow its own produce. They renovated a rundown greenhouse, adding a new door, equipment and raised garden beds. Local children contributed by creating a wooden sign for the space. Additionally, project organizers installed seating, creating a community gathering space. Organizers plan to continue to upgrade the greenhouse, which provides vegetables for congregate meals for community elders.
Shawnee, OK
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: The community market will revitalize its garden with raised beds, accessible paths and native landscaping. The garden will offer a peaceful place for adults age 50-plus to grow fresh produce, stay active and connect with others.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Greensboro, NC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Walk Audits
Description: This project will partner with neighborhood organizations to conduct two meetings and two walk audits. The project will gather testimony to produce a community walk report for future street and sidewalk plans.
Greensboro, NC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Pedestrian Safety
Description: Speeding traffic, trucks and bus activity made it risky to cross W. Elmsley Dr., a link to shopping and a transit corridor used by many older adults. The city installed a permanent high-visibility crosswalk with pedestrian-activated flashing lights, ADA ramps and a refuge island, then added a new sidewalk to complete the connection. Walk audits with residents informed the location and built buy-in. During filming, staff saw drivers slow and stop for the beacon, and crossing felt noticeably safer. The project also aligned with plans for higher-frequency transit and spurred interdepartmental coordination on future safety upgrades.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
LEARN MORE AND STAY INFORMED
Find articles and resources about making communities more livable for people of all ages
Download or order free publications from AARP Livable Communities
Sign up for the free, weekly, award-winning AARP Livable Communities eNewsletter
Don't see your community listed?
LEARN HOW IT CAN JOIN THE NETWORKConnect with your AARP State Office
AARP has offices in all 50 states as well as in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
AARP North Carolina State Office
5511 Capital Center Drive
Suite 400
Raleigh, NC 27606
United States