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South Tucson, AZ

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: The Primavera Foundation improved the La Capilla neighborhood's community garden by building raised bed planters, adding ADA-compliant benches and making garden walking paths more accessible. In addition, the Foundation purchased ergonomic and adaptive tools, since the majority of residents who use the garden are older adults, often accompanied by their grandchildren. The garden improvements coincided with the City of South Tucson's Greenway Redevelopment Project, which brought public art to the neighborhood. To celebrate local residents' heritage, project organizers also installed a walking path to a mural located next to the garden. That mural -- created by student artists -- pays homage to the Yaqui and Mexican American cultures. Since this project's completion, the Foundation has made similar upgrades to another community garden.

Gettysburg, SD

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: This project will convert a vacant lot into a downtown community garden. Many older adult residents live in apartments that lack garden areas, so the space will allow them to cultivate home-grown produce.

Pittsburgh, PA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: Grounded Strategies transformed a vacant lot in Pittsburgh's Central Hill District into a community garden. The organization relied on what is calls its ReClaim Ambassador model, which connects experts with vulnerable communities to repurpose vacant land and revitalize neighborhoods. To create the Peace, Love and Friendship Garden, the ambassador for this project worked with corporate donors, volunteers and nonprofit partners. Meant to offset the closure of a local grocery store, the garden features 72 raised beds where residents can grow vegetables. Grounded Strategies is now working with partner organization Grow Pittsburgh to create programming for the space.

Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects

Boulder, CO

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Public safety interventions

Description: Boulder's San Lazaro Mobile Home Park lacked well-lit community walkways, causing residents to feel unsafe walking during the evening hours. To address this, the City of Boulder and the park's owners installed solar lights, which they mounted on 20-foot poles to improve visibility after dark. Enhancing walkability and creating a stronger sense of place, this project kicked off a larger effort to replace more of the county's lights with solar lighting.

Fort Collins, CO

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023

Project Category: Innovative home maintenance, repair and support services

Description: This project will host DIY repair workshops for homeowners in mobile home parks. It will also develop a neighborhood business guide to promote shopping locally.

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