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Delaware Nature Society (2022) Print
2022 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public space activation
└ Public space activation
This project added amenities including benches, shade trees and interpretive panels to a new but underused wetland park. Delaware Nature Society hired guides to lead nature walks and help visitors monitor water quality.
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Milwaukee, WI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: As part of the ongoing efforts to improve Gardner Park, the City of Milwaukee added a new community gathering space. Located in the Menomonee River Hills neighborhood, the intergenerational space features a gravel patio area, as well as wheelchair-accessible tables with built-in game boards, benches, an information kiosk and new landscaping. Previously, the City installed a new playground, walking path and fitness equipment at the park. Project organizers say in recent years the neighborhood has welcomed an influx of new families -- including those from the Hmong community -- underscoring the need for a public space for neighbors to meet and socialize.
Clyde, KS
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: The city will create a new greenspace in the heart of Clyde's downtown. The gathering place will include seating, an accessible stage and the town's only public restrooms. Other improvements will include new signage and lighting.
San Jose, CA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: The COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted the local economy in San Jose's Washington neighborhood. To help meet the community's needs, Veggielution hosted free arts and environmental education programming. The local nonprofit, which aims to connect people through food and farming, invited people to the SoFa pocket park, which the organization created on the site of an underused parking lot. Events included a monthly garden art workshop and live musical and theater performances by local arts organizations. Additionally, Veggielution worked with a local arts school to create a mural for the pocket park. The activities helped link residents to resources, such as food assistance and entrepreneurship training, and connected local nonprofit organizations to each other, creating a better web of support for the community.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Wilmington, DE
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Digital Connectivity for Disasters
Description: This project will provide training on preparing for disasters and distribute preparedness kits to participants. The initiative will also outfit a mobile emergency disaster unit with solar-powered satellite internet access and portable charging units.
Wilmington, DE
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: During the planning stages for a mural at the 4th Rodney Park, Pastor Lottie Lee-Davis -- a community leader and the project's main partner -- was killed in a car crash. The original goal for the mural was to depict positive imagery for neighborhood children to look up to as they played. After Pastor Lottie's death, organizers used the mural to honor the woman who was a beloved leader and advocate for the 4th Street corridor's residents. Local artists Crae Washington and JaQuanne LeRoy Daniels made Lee-Davis the central figure in the mural, surrounding her with bold colors and words representing career aspirations of the area's children and teens. Since the mural's installation other improvements have come to the park, including new greenery and a bike repair station. Cornerstone West has also worked to implement public art and beautification projects at other nearby parks, including Judy Johnson Park, Cool Spring Park and Tilton Park.
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