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The Conscious Connect (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public space activation
└ Public space activation
This project will transform four vacant lots into a recreational space for older adults. Amenities will include a walking path, tables, benches and a shelter house.
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New Haven, CT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: New Haven's older adults lacked outdoor seating, leaving older adults without safe, accessible places to rest or socialize at local community centers. The department installed ADA-compliant benches at three centers and created mental health resource materials for distribution. Volunteers guided bench placement and unveiling events. The project improved accessibility, encouraged social interaction and sparked collaboration between city departments. Feedback praised the benches as "a good way to have conversation and fellowship" and "great when you are waiting for your ride."
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Jackson, MS
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Part of wider efforts to beautify the South Jackson neighborhood, this project activated several vacant lots, turning them into community gardens, creative market spaces and pocket parks. The revitalization initiative also added seating and landscaping at a bus stop, painted a mural and made repairs to housing subdivision entrances. Community members volunteered to help with the efforts. In recent years, South Jackson has struggled with business closures and vacant housing. In a letter to the community, Coalition Executive Director Bennie Hudson wrote, We must do something about this for ourselves as elders and adults, but even more for our children and youth. In the future, project organizers hope to set up a homeowners association for the neighborhood to support ongoing maintenance and future improvements.
Fort Lawn, SC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: In a rural area with few recreational options and high rates of chronic disease, the Center created an ADA-compliant mini park with picnic tables, benches, bike racks and a gazebo with swings. Concrete paths improved wheelchair access, and signage guided visitors. The space now hosts multigenerational activities, from picnics for older adults to pop-up markets. One resident said, "It's good for my soul to be able to just come sit out here with friends. We're safe and it's beautiful."
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Dayton, OH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: CityWide transformed a vacant lot into a new, more inviting entrance to Welcome Park in Dayton's Carillon neighborhood. The organization cleared overgrowth and dead trees from the site, replaced fencing and installed new informational signs. To give visitors a spot to rest, they placed benches along the park's walking path. CityWide also widened the entrance to conform to Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility standards. Throughout the project, CityWide gathered feedback and ideas from residents. A community-led branding effort informed the design of the park's new sign, as well as a dedication plaque honoring a local advocate. Project organizers say they hope this project serves as a model for meaningful community engagement as the community plans for future park improvements.
Kettering, OH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Bike Audits
Description: In several busy parts of Kettering, older adults and people with disabilities faced barriers when biking to everyday destinations such as community centers and parks. Without direct input from residents, these issues were easy to overlook in planning. Cycle Kettering addressed this by organizing four community bike audits that brought together residents, elected officials and city staff to examine routes on the ground. Participants used a city-developed app to document conditions with notes, photos and mapped locations, creating a detailed record of problem areas. Input from older adults and riders with disabilities shaped the findings. One participant living with a neuromuscular disorder highlighted access issues others might miss. The audits produced practical data that planners and engineers can reference as they consider future biking and walking improvements.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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