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Connect Lake County (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Digital Connections
└ Digital navigation skills
└ Digital navigation skills
Older residents in Lake County lacked devices and digital skills, leaving them unable to access health resources or stay connected. To close this gap, the organization distributed 123 laptops and provided at least 12 hours of hands-on training in familiar community spaces, supported by printed guides for continued learning. Participants reported feeling less isolated, with 80% using new skills to connect with family and 25% accessing health resources. One attendee shared, "I was scared of technology... now I feel young again," reflecting the program's impact on confidence and independence.
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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Jersey City, NJ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Digital navigation skills
Description: The Jersey City Housing Authority aimed to use technology to reduce social isolation and improve community connections at one of its age-restricted public housing complexes. The Authority a created a computer lab onsite, outfitting the space with desktop computers and a printer. To help residents use the technology, they Authority worked with partners to host one-on-one and small group digital literacy training in Spanish and English. Topics included computer and internet basics, email and digital art and design. Additionally, the Authority installed voice-activated smart home devices in individual apartments. Since introducing the new technology, the Authority has also worked to ensure residents have access to reliable broadband internet service.
Spokane, WA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Digital navigation skills
Description: Refugee and Immigrant Connections Spokane addressed gaps in digital access that left many older adults struggling to communicate, find information and take part in daily activities that increasingly require online skills. For older adults, limited experience with computers and concerns about online safety increased isolation and dependency. The project delivered a series of hands-on digital literacy workshops supported by staff and volunteers, with small-group and one-on-one instruction tailored to older learners. Participants practiced core skills such as using laptops and tablets, navigating websites, sending email and recognizing common online risks. As confidence grew, several participants began applying these skills to their phones and other devices, strengthening independence and connection.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Florence, SC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Digital navigation skills
Description: The pandemic left many older adults in rural Florence County isolated and unable to navigate the digital world. To close this gap, the association upgraded its computer lab and added new laptops and tablets. It then launched workshops on internet safety, genealogy and computer software. Graduates received devices to continue learning, and some even published a cookbook and traced family histories. More than 100 participants gained confidence online, and a growing waitlist signals demand as plans expand to remote sites and develop volunteer mentors.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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Kenosha, WI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Innovative home maintenance, repair and support services
Description: Unsafe homes left many older adults vulnerable to falls and insecurity, with broken steps, missing handrails and doors that wouldn't lock. The program completed safety repairs for seven homes at no cost, installing indoor and outdoor handrails, adding grab bars and replacing kitchen fixtures. Volunteers handled all labor, strengthening community ties. These changes let homeowners remain independent and secure, delaying moves to assisted living. One participant said new doors finally let her lock up and feel safe after years of fear, showing how essential these repairs were for dignity and peace of mind.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Wilmette, IL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Bikeability
Description: Environmental advocacy group Go Green Wilmette raised awareness of cycling through tactical urbanism, which involve short-term, low-cost changes meant to inspire longer-term improvements. The organization staged a village bicycle ride in partnership with the Wilmette Park District and Bike Wilmette. Along the route, the group installed a temporary protected bicycle lane. They did this using a pop-up toolkit they created, which includes planters, stencils and signs for use in temporary demonstrations. Go Green Wilmette later redeployed these items at school bike rodeo safety events and made them available to residents to use at block parties. In 2021, Wilmette's village board approved its Master Bike and Active Transportation Plan. Shaped by community input, the plan aims to improve pedestrian and cycling access to the Village's business district, parks, schools, transit stations and other destinations.
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