Lake County, MT

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: For decades, outdated facilities at the Bison Range limited Tribal elders' ability to gather and connect with their heritage. The Tribes addressed this by installing a wheelchair-accessible shelter near a popular trail and adding ADA-compliant picnic tables, fire rings and pedestal grills-features designed for safety and ease of use. These upgrades transformed the Visitor Center area into an inclusive space for cultural events and family outings. The project also set the stage for broader accessibility improvements, including a redesigned entrance and safer walking paths, reinforcing the Range's role as a place where history and community thrive.

Newark, DE

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: This project will install outdoor speakers in the Food Bank of Delaware's public gardens in Milford and Newark. The sound system will create a peaceful and connected community space for all visitors, especially older adults.

Omaha, NE

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: Organizers with Spark thought an unused parking lot at the head of the North Omaha Trail had potential to be something more. So they set out to turn the site into a seed archive -- a building designed to store seeds for growing vegetables, flowers and other plants. Local artists decorated the new building and project organizers installed seating for the space. The seed archive supports the nearby Healthy Roots community garden, which provides fresh produce to local families. Additionally, the archive represents a win for biodiversity, since many of the seeds stored there will grow into plants native to Nebraska, including pollinator-friendly species.