Fort Scott, KS

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Park enhancements

Description: Fort Scott's Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes mission is to share stories of lesser-known great Americans through project-based learning. The Center created a downtown park next to its museum facilities. The new space features six narrative boards, which commemorate the contributions of individual heroes. Students in grades four through twelve researched and chose the subjects, who include scientists who discovered dinosaur bones and measured the extent of the universe, as well as a Navajo code breaker, a pioneer of modern education and others. Project organizers say the story rails will allow visitors to learn about historical figures outside the nearby museum's operating hours.

Anchorage, AK

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023

Project Category: Park enhancements

Description: Special Olympics Alaska expanded its outdoor space to give older adults more ways to stay active and connected. The project added three turf bocce courts, ADA-compliant benches and picnic tables, shade umbrellas and a water refill station. These upgrades created a safe, welcoming environment for recreation and social engagement. Participation in bocce doubled, and one athlete noted the improvements made the courts safe for his walker and that the benches "made it feel inclusive and welcoming."

Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.

Greenville, SC

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018

Project Category: Park enhancements

Description: Walker Park -- a pocket park in the West Greenville neighborhood -- is a popular gathering place for residents, but the greenspace lacked accessibility features and shade. To address this, the City refurbished park benches and added an ADA-compliant shelter house with an entrance ramp. Additionally, they worked to give visitors more recreation options, replacing a dilapidated horseshoes pit and adding accessible game tables. Organizers say the additions help Greenville's older adults and intergenerational families take advantage of park amenities.