See More Projects Like This One

Cimarron, KS

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Park enhancements

Description: The project will add a pickleball court to Cimarron Crossing Park, along with a shaded area and benches. This will provide a new recreational activity for adults and create a space for socializing while watching others play.

Walcott, IA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Park enhancements

Description: Walcott's tennis courts had deteriorated since 1998, leaving few options for older adults to stay active in a town without fitness facilities. To address this, the city resurfaced one court and converted the other into two pickleball courts with fortified acrylic surfaces near a park and splash pad. The upgrades sparked interest in adult pickleball leagues and youth programs, creating a hub for social engagement and wellness. Residents say the new courts encourage active living and help older adults remain connected to the community.

Wilton Manors, FL

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Park enhancements

Description: Coral Gardens Park was underused and unsafe after dark, leaving older residents without a pleasant outdoor space for socializing. The association installed landscape lighting, planted ferns, built a Little Free Library and erected a new park sign. The park was renamed Lieber Park through a community vote and celebrated with a block party. The upgrades transformed the park into a welcoming space used more frequently, including at night. Residents praised the improvements, saying, "It's not a dark park anymore!" The project sparked plans for art installations and regular social events to keep the park active.

Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects

Sandpoint, ID

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019

Project Category: Trails

Description: After acquiring a new, 180-acre forest property, organizers with the Kanitsu Land Trust wanted to ensure people of all ability levels could enjoy it. So they created an all-abilities trail to draw visitors to the site. Pine Street Woods now boasts half a mile of accessible walkways, as well as four new benches. Since completing these improvements, the Land Trust reports an uptick in trail use, with over 100 visitors per day in summer 2020. The trail now serves as an example to municipal leaders of how to address accessibility challenges that limit outdoor access for those with mobility issues.

Cusick, WA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Public art installations

Description: Community spaces on the reservation lacked cultural expression, leaving the powwow grounds and walking routes without art. The tribe launched a utility box art project, installing eight vibrant wraps along high-traffic areas after soliciting designs from local artists. Many of the community's elders helped select artwork that reflects tribal heritage, strengthening intergenerational ties. The colorful additions have sparked pride and conversations about future murals and sculptures. "The new boxes look great... they add so much color to the walking path," said one resident.

LEARN MORE AND STAY INFORMED

Find articles and resources about making communities more livable for people of all ages

people icon

Download or order free publications from AARP Livable Communities

download icon

Sign up for the free, weekly, award-winning AARP Livable Communities eNewsletter

mail icon

Don't see your community listed?

LEARN HOW IT CAN JOIN THE NETWORK

Connect 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 Idaho State Office

250 S. 5th Street
Suite 800
Boise, ID 83702
United States

Phone: 866-295-7284
Fax: 208-288-4424
Email: [email protected]