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Cosmopolis, WA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Highland Park had fallen into disrepair, leaving older adults without a safe place to gather or exercise. The project transformed the park with paved walkways and parking, a covered communal area with ADA ramps, and new benches and picnic tables. It added an accessible playground, fitness stations and a pickleball/basketball court designed for all ages. The revitalized park now hosts events that foster connection. One longtime resident said, "I just love this park... I have never seen so many people using it."
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Lorain, OH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: This project made improvements to Falbo Park, including adding a 20- by 20-foot shade awning, a large glider swing and an additional shade structure featuring a trellis for vines to climb. The City of Lorain designed these enhancements to make Falbo Park a space for intergenerational physical activity, play and community-building. The park hosted activities and provided solace to residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. This project sparked other tangible changes to Falbo Park. In 2021, the City added a butterfly garden to attract pollinators. They also installed accessible bench-style swings in other parts of town, including at the local outdoor concert venue.
Rochester Hills, MI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: This grant set out to create an intergenerational exercise space in Bloomer Park. Equipment for the space includes apparatuses for building core muscles, improving posture and working the upper and lower body. Additionally, the space features a water fountain and benches.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Rapid City, SD
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Visitors in busy community spaces often had no place to sit, leaving people without a comfortable spot to rest during walks or long visits. To address this, the group partnered with a welding class to design and build two ADA-compliant benches, which were finished with powder coating and installed on new concrete pads. Placing them in the market park created the only seating in that area and offered shaded resting spots for people spending time there. Members said the project helped them recognize broader unmet needs in their community and inspired future efforts. One volunteer noted that the benches were placed in "perfect shaded areas", making the park easier for people to enjoy.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Brookings, SD
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: Accessibility of amenities
Description: The project will rebuild restrooms in a downtown building to create fully accessible, clearly signed public restrooms. The improved facilities will provide residents and visitors with a safe, comfortable option while spending time in the city center.
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