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Naknek, AK
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: To keep residents of all ages active, this project set out to update outdoor fitness trails, providing space for people of all ages to engage with each other. Camai Community Center developed a summer walking path and winter ski trail. To offer the community an intergenerational activity, the organization created a story walk, which features pages of a storybook displayed in succession along the pathway. They then hosted invited local elders groups to walk the path with preschool children and read to them.
Central Falls, RI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: This project will amplify access to outdoor spaces and recreational opportunities, focusing on residents age 50 and older. It will enhance River Island Park with shade structures and amenities to support healthy aging.
Wrens, GA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: In Wrens, older adults faced limited access to fitness programs, with the nearest community center 20 miles away. The project upgraded the Jefferson County Senior Center's fitness room with commercial treadmills, recumbent bikes, a cross trainer and free weights. They also received a laptop and camera for program management. A ribbon-cutting marked the improvements, which now support three weekly exercise classes and daily use by older adults. Participation surged as residents embraced consistent routines, boosting energy and commitment to health. The center reports its strongest wellness program yet, laying the groundwork for future health initiatives.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Des Moines, IA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: In the early to mid-1900s, the Waveland Trolley was an integral part of Des Moines' transportation system yet has long since been replaced by more modern options. The Des Moines Historical Society's Waveland Trolley Project set out to commemorate the city's rich history by transforming a long-neglected space into a walkable outdoor transit museum. The park-like setting is located on the former site of the trolley loop, where streetcars would turn around at the end of their route. The outdoor museum features benches, bike racks, panels displaying historical information and a life-sized sculpture of the Waveland Trolley.
Des Moines, IA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Accessory dwelling units, tiny homes and manufactured housing
Description: After the City of Des Moines updated its zoning to allow accessory dwelling units, HOME constructed the city's first ADU as a how-to demonstration for residents interested in building their own. After working with the City's planning and zoning department, the organization built the ADU on a vacant lot in the Oak Park neighborhood. The small, detached unit demonstrates an affordable housing option with benefits for a range of residents, from those who want to downsize but remain in their neighborhood, to families who need space for an aging parent, nanny or caregiver, to those looking to earn rental income. To garner community interest, HOME offered community walk-throughs and public viewings of the ADU. More Des Moines residents now have the option to add an ADU to their property. In 2022, the city council passed a measure expanding the areas where ADUs are permitted.
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