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City of Harlan (2019) Print
2019 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Park enhancements
└ Park enhancements
Harlan library staff wanted to encourage families with children to explore Pioneer Park. To draw people in, they created a Story Walk. The library purchased twenty displays to house pages of a storybook, which they placed along the park's walking path. With their grandparents and parents by their side, kids enjoy running from sign to sign to reach the next part of the story. To keep the experience fresh, library employees swap out new stories seasonally.
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Fort Scott, KS
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Fort Scott's Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes mission is to share stories of lesser-known great Americans through project-based learning. The Center created a downtown park next to its museum facilities. The new space features six narrative boards, which commemorate the contributions of individual heroes. Students in grades four through twelve researched and chose the subjects, who include scientists who discovered dinosaur bones and measured the extent of the universe, as well as a Navajo code breaker, a pioneer of modern education and others. Project organizers say the story rails will allow visitors to learn about historical figures outside the nearby museum's operating hours.
Salyersville, KY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Older adults lacked shaded seating in the community park, making walking trails and playground visits uncomfortable. The council installed canopies over 16 benches and added a sound system for the stage, creating shaded resting areas and enabling events. Volunteers contributed significant time to complete the improvements. "These improvements have been such a great addition to the park and should provide many years of enjoyment," said a local official. The upgrades transformed the park into a welcoming space for older adults and families, encouraging outdoor activity and social engagement.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Newton, KS
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Newton lacked safe green space near its industrial corridor, limiting recreation and nature access for older adults and nearby residents. The alliance converted an unused parcel into a wetland park with walkways, benches, educational signage and birding-by-ear features for visitors with low vision. Volunteers age 50-plus helped collect native seeds, and solar lighting improved safety. The park now offers legal access to a popular birding site and is expected to serve as an outdoor classroom. "Time spent in nature has been shown to reduce incidents of chronic disease... as well as improving mental health," said a local health leader.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Avoca, IA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Avoca's Main Street already had green space and places to sit, but Avoca Public Library organizers wanted to give residents a reason to spend time downtown. To invite people in, they installed oversized, weather-proof musical instruments outside the library. Since the instruments don't require any training or talent to play, they are popular with residents of all ages. Part of the town's creative placemaking plans, the new music park is located near the site of Avoca's weekly summer farmer's market. "It's a fun part of the town now," Avoca resident Sunshine Schoeller said.
Woodbine, IA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Improved wayfinding
Description: To create a sense of place in the downtown Historic District, Woodbine Main Street designed and installed a dozen interpretive signs. The signs -- which volunteers placed on downtown buildings -- communicate historical facts, as well as local cultural context and human-interest stories. Project organizers say the placemaking initiative turns the district into an outdoor museum. Woodbine Main Street features the signage in its series of walking field trips -- part of the organization's efforts to improve walkability throughout Woodbine.
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