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Community Engagement, Environmental Justice, & Health Laboratory at the University of Maryland School of Public Health (2020) Print
2020 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Community Health and Economic Empowerment
└ Addressing community health
└ Addressing community health
This project created an online tool -- called My Block Counts -- which allows community members to collect and report information related to local environmental health. Before rolling out the tool, researchers held online workshops to teach the community about environmental justice, public infrastructure and community health. Then they invited community members to use My Block Counts to do an inventory of their neighborhoods. The virtual tool guides users through a series of questions about the built environment. Once users complete the questions, their responses are available for other users to access. Project organizers hope the data collected will help community members advocate for improved infrastructure in their neighborhoods. In the future, they plan to roll out the tool on a national level.
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Lansing, MI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Addressing community health
Description: This project will create a senior fitness membership for residents aged 60 and older, providing access to a fitness center, drop-in activities and an instructor to lead fitness and nutrition classes.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Greenville County, SC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Addressing community health
Description: Mill Community Ministries hoped to increase the amount of healthy food it could provide to residents through its FoodShare program. To facilitate this, the organization purchased a refrigerated tractor trailer, which increased its cold storage capacity. Thanks to the trailer, Mill Village Farms delivered six times more deeply discounted produce in 2021 compared to the previous year, helping combat food insecurity in Greenville County. Project organizers say the increased storage capacity also helped expand Mill Village's network of partner organizations.
Hagerstown, MD
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Addressing community health
Description: During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Washington County Commission on Aging purchased and outfitted a trailer to operate as a mobile office. Commission staff deployed the trailer at drive-through vaccination events. That way, older adults seeking vaccinations could drive to the trailer's location, then complete their required paperwork without leaving their personal vehicles. During the first three months of 2021, the Commission held 12 events, vaccinating 670 people. Since the vaccination drives, the Commission has used the trailer for other mobile services. During tax season, it provided a space to coordinate tax document drop off and pick up.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Washington, DC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: This project activated a space outside the Genesis apartment community. Volunteers painted murals and installed lighting, planters and seating. This enabled organizers to state a fall harvest festival for residents.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Washington, DC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Disaster Preparedness
Description: Faith Mobile Market responded to gaps in emergency readiness by giving older adults practical training and essential supplies to help them manage crises. Six workshops reached 187 participants with information on first aid and disaster planning, and the effort also provided medical supplies, flu shots and food support. These services increased confidence among residents who faced uncertainty, and one attendee said the workshop "gave me a grave reality that I am now better prepared to handle." The project strengthened community connections and set the stage for continued preparedness training and expanded resources to support older adults navigating future emergencies.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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