Ashton, MD

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: Older adults in Montgomery County faced health disparities and food insecurity, with few accessible spaces for gardening and exercise. The organization added 12 raised garden beds and seating areas to its community garden, creating a space where participants grow fresh produce and connect. The garden promotes healthy eating and social ties, reducing isolation. One 97-year-old participant, unable to garden for two years due to back and knee problems, said she is "so happy and anxiously awaiting for the season to start."

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

Baltimore, MD

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: Residents in West Baltimore lacked safe, welcoming spaces for connection, and older adults had few opportunities to engage in programs that fostered social ties. The organization transformed a neglected alley into a vibrant gathering space by installing a large outdoor library with built-in lighting, a rooftop planter and benched seating. For the first time, residents can sit and participate in programs like Storytime at The Oasis. The project improved safety and sparked excitement for literacy programming-residents are donating books and volunteering for readings-and is expected to strengthen intergenerational relationships and boost property values.

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

Albuquerque, NM

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: The weekly La Familia Growers Market in the Dolores Huerta Gateway Park provides South Valley residents with locally grown produce. To support the market's role as a culturally significant gathering space, project organizers purchased tables, chairs, a storage shed and cafe-style lights. They also procured materials to construct a horno -- a traditional outdoor oven made of adobe. Since then, the market has hosted free weekly musical performances and traditional cooking workshops, as well as the La Familia Growers Market Harvest Festival, attended by more than 500 people. In addition, project organizers conducted interviews with older community members - part of an oral history project.