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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.
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Grand Rapids, MI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Long Michigan winters left older adults at Reflections Apartments isolated and unable to garden, a key source of connection and activity. Dwelling Place built an ADA-compliant greenhouse through five volunteer events, engaging many community members and local partners. The space extends the growing season and supports a seed-starting program led by residents. Older adults now plan to grow culturally relevant vegetables and share stories tied to gardening traditions, turning the greenhouse into a year-round hub for wellness and social connection.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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.
Thurston County, WA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Garden Raised Bounty installed 21 home gardens throughout Thurston County, giving the recipients access to healthy food and community connections. The organization adapted half of the gardens to meet accessibility needs and customized all of the gardens for specific recipients. Garden Raised Bounty also provided growing guides, online tutorials, seeds or starter plants, recipes and one-on-one support to ensure each garden's success. Its goal was to increase food security and provide for the mental and physical well-being of its recipients, many of whom reported the project had a positive impact on their communities and lives.
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.
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