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City of Canistota (2022) Print
2022 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Park enhancements
└ Park enhancements
Canistota's Stalting Park had sat unused, limiting opportunities for social connection and recreation. The city built a heated picnic shelter that doubles as a warming house and Farmers Market venue, added an ADA-compliant water fountain and created a raised planting bed. These upgrades complement pickleball and ice-skating facilities, offering low-impact exercise and gathering spaces. The shelter now hosts reunions and school events and will expand the Farmers Market. Residents describe the joy of watching children skate and the peace of sitting in the park. One older adult shared, "I love to just sit in the swing... to listen to the birds or just enjoy the beauty of Stalting Park."
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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McComb, OH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: McComb prides itself on the public park on the village's east side, which encompasses four baseball fields, tennis and basketball courts, a public pool, two reservoirs for boating, walking and fitness trails and a 36-hole disc golf course. The McComb Economic Development Organization installed drinking fountains and benches around the reservoir, plus a merry-go-round and several swings, including one designed specifically for wheelchair users. The park has remained an important community resource and serves as the location for events, such as the annual McComb Cookie Festival.
Gautier, MS
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: After years without fitness equipment, the college upgraded its walking track to address limited options for affordable exercise and provide new means for improving health. New outdoor stations, including accessible machines for people with disabilities, were installed without disrupting daily use. A ribbon cutting and workshops introduced the equipment, and a fitness challenge honored veterans while collecting supplies. The stations now offer free, inclusive exercise and social connection. One participant said that she fell in love with the new fitness station and plans to work out there more often.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
South Milford, IN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Austin Park offered little for older adults, with no safe walking areas or seating. Volunteers cleared overgrown land and built a 1,000-foot ADA-compliant trail with a footbridge linking the park to town, plus five benches, two with wheelchair platforms. Evergreen trees were planted to restore privacy for nearby residents. The upgrades created a safe, accessible space for walking and resting, drawing families and older adults who previously avoided the park. A ribbon-cutting drew 50 attendees, half age 50-plus, and future plans include wildflower planting and creek stabilization. One resident note how the trail now offers a safe place to walk for himself and other residents.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Sioux Falls, SD
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Developing projects based on residents' priorities
Description: Sioux Falls residents -- like people in many places -- were grappling with anti-Black and anti-Asian racism. To teach residents how to disrupt bias and address discrimination, St. Michael Parish's newly formed diversity committee organized two Bystander and Upstander workshops. The first workshop invited older adults, youth and their parents and older adults to discuss ways to communicate better, specifically across cultural backgrounds. The second aimed to build awareness of other cultures, with families invited to participate together. Participants learned to recognize racism and intervene with de-escalation techniques. Project organizers said the workshops, helped bridge the gap that some of our diverse members have been feeling and experiencing and brought it to the forefront to those of us who had no idea.
Crooks, SD
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: The Town of Crooks set out to build a public space where residents could honor veterans and spend time outdoors in ways that worked for older adults and people with mobility challenges. As the park took shape, limited lighting and shelter made walking paths and gathering areas harder to use safely, especially in the evening. Crooks Veterans Park addressed these gaps by adding accent lighting along the walking path and installing a picnic shelter with electrical access. The lighting improved visibility and security after hours, while the shelter created a shaded place to sit, reflect and gather during visits and events. These upgrades expanded how and when residents could use the park and supported plans to make the trail fully accessible. Attendance at Veterans Day events continued to grow, reinforcing the park as a place veterans, older adults and families return to together.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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