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Community Legal Center (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Community Health and Economic Empowerment
└ Entrepreneurship and improved economic resilience
└ Entrepreneurship and improved economic resilience
Many Memphis families lack affordable estate planning, leaving homes vulnerable to probate and loss. To address this, the Community Legal Center held 18 free clinics at local centers and libraries, serving nearly 300 residents, mostly older adults. Volunteer attorneys drafted wills, powers of attorney and advance directives, with local council members organizing sessions in their districts. The effort preserved property titles and reduced foreclosure risk. One participant resolved a tangled inheritance involving multiple heirs, ensuring rightful ownership and peace of mind for future generations. The model is now prompting ongoing clinics and attorney training.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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Augusta, GA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Entrepreneurship and improved economic resilience
Description: This project set out to create vendor stalls near the Jessye Norman School of the Arts building, with the goal of holding regular artists markets. The school purchased benches and kiosks for participating vendors to display their goods. The school then held a street market where artists could sell their work. Organizers say they plan to expand the market in the future and hope it will become a regular event, increasing foot traffic and economic activity in the neighborhood.
Little Rock, AR
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Entrepreneurship and improved economic resilience
Description: Older farmers in rural Arkansas faced barriers to market access and lacked essential resources for production and food safety. WSBZ Farms addressed this by providing a greenhouse for seed germination, distributing seeds and plants, and building a commercial kitchen with a covered wash station, cold storage and scale. The project also launched a co-op of 35 farmers, most age 50-plus, fostering collaboration and resource sharing. These improvements removed major obstacles to selling produce and strengthened economic resilience. "I'm grateful we now have access to a community kitchen that allows me to grow both personally and professionally," said one farmer.
Jersey City, NJ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Entrepreneurship and improved economic resilience
Description: Older Section 3 workers struggled to shift from physically demanding jobs as Jersey City's high living costs and digital skills gap left many age 50-plus at risk of economic instability. The 50+ Workforce Transitions Program provided laptops and hands-on training to spreadsheets, documents and other useful office technology. In addition, students learned resume building, usage of social media for business connections and virtual interviewing. These, plus new skills using AI tools for crafting professional materials, helped many achieve greater confidence and digital fluency, with some already securing new roles. Continued referrals to advanced training and career services aim to sustain progress and expand networks for lasting economic resilience.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Memphis, TN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: The City of Memphis hoped to encourage residents of the Crosstown neighborhood to walk. They replaced and repaired sidewalks at the Lewis Center, the local senior center. To encourage people to use a new urban walking trail, the City also installed signage directing people to the path. A designated rest stop along the trail includes benches and planters, giving walkers a place to stretch, rest and socialize. Future plans include upgrades to crosswalks at the neighborhood senior center, as well as accessibility improvements at other public facilities and outdoor spaces. The Lewis Center also hopes to convene walking groups, giving older adults the opportunity to exercise in a social setting.
Memphis, TN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: To help more South Memphis families access fresh food, Knowledge Quest made upgrades the hydroponic system at its Green Leaf Learning Farm, installing fifty new grow towners onsite. The infrastructure improvements allow the three-acre urban farm to produce more vegetables, which Knowledge Quest makes available to local lower-income families. Project organizers say the farm's increased capacity also allows them to offer more farming and nutrition education programming, which helps community members become more self-reliant. Today the farm is an agritourism destination, hosting school field trips related to beekeeping, vegetable growing, aquaponics, green building and more.
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