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Miami, FL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Public or private transit access
Description: Residents of Miami's Little Havana neighborhood wanted to improve the transit experience for the area's older adults. To do this, Urban Health Partnerships installed a dozen single and double-seat benches under shade trees near high-ridership bus and trolley stops. Little Havana residents use public transit at three times the rate of Miami-Dade County's general populace. Organizers say the new benches provide a welcome place to rest as they walk through the community or wait for transit.
St. Louis, MO
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Public or private transit access
Description: At many bus stops, riders must stand for long periods without seating, a challenge that discourages transit use for older adults. Citizens for Modern Transit installed benches with backs and armrests at stops that previously lacked basic amenities. The project paired seating improvements with volunteer-led story collection from riders and nearby residents. At one opening, a rider shared she had spent hundreds of hours standing at that stop, while another had relied on a milk crate to sit. The benches improved daily comfort and helped prompt additional local investment in shelters and stop upgrades.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Willmar, MN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public or private transit access
Description: Older adults and people with disabilities in rural Minnesota faced transportation barriers, limiting access to health care and community life. MMDC distributed 2,100 transit tokens and childcare passes, and introduced electric-assist tricycles at facilities to promote independence. These efforts reduced isolation, encouraged transit use and fostered intergenerational interaction. A project organizer noted that one resident has now been able to resume ridership and that she now enjoys a regained sense of independence. Stronger ties with with the community will guide future mobility planning.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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Rochester, NY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Developing projects based on residents' priorities
Description: In the 1950s, construction of U.S. Interstate 490 split Rochester's 16th Ward in two. In recent years, the City of Rochester removed the highway. Hinge Neighbors hoped to bridge the gap between neighbors on either side of the expressway and explore their shared history. To do this, the organization closed the Scio Street Bridge to vehicle traffic. They then created a pop-up community gathering space on bridge, which once spanned the interstate. To activate the space, project organizers added tables, benches, planters and fruit trees. Kiosks displayed information about the neighborhoods, both before and after the highway. Additionally, the event featured live music and food, and organizers provided resources related to community health, design and equity. Since the pop-up event, Hinge Neighbors has worked to include community input in local design plans as Rochester fills in the removed expressway.
Rochester, NY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Digital navigation skills
Description: Many cancer patients age 50 and over struggled to use digital tools needed for care, from patient portals to video visits, increasing stress during treatment and deepening isolation. Cancer Support Community at Gilda's Club Rochester responded with its Digital Sherpa program, offering hands-on group sessions and one-on-one support focused on practical skills. Participants learned how to use video platforms, navigate patient portals, search for reliable health information and safely use phones, tablets and computers. More than skills were gained. Participants reported feeling more confident managing appointments, communicating with care teams and staying connected with others. One participant said, "Before, I'd sit in doctor's appointments nodding along. Now I come prepared with questions from my patient portal and can actually advocate for what I need," underscoring how digital confidence translated into greater self-advocacy and connection during a difficult period.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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