Jacksonville, FL

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026

Project Category: Innovative home maintenance, repair and support services

Description: Volunteers and partners will complete critical home repairs and landscape improvements for ten households. The service day will help residents remain safe and independent at home.

Mount Vernon, ME

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019

Project Category: Innovative home maintenance, repair and support services

Description: To help older adults remain in their homes, the Mount Vernon Community Partnership Coalition created a tool library stocked with home repair and gardening tools. A subsequent grant allowed the tool library to move out of the town office's basement to an adjacent shed for ease of storage and tool accessibility. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the opening of the tool library, but once it did open, the gardening tools proved most popular. The Coalition recently relocated the shed and turned over tool library operations to the local Grange, which focuses on gardening and growing food. Adjacent communities also sought out the Coalition's experience to evaluate opening their own tool library.

Blue Hill, ME

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019

Project Category: Innovative home maintenance, repair and support services

Description: To showcase practical, affordable devices that can help older adults remain independent in their homes, Healthy Peninsula put together its Traveling Tool Table display. The tool table features 42 items, including a telephone with picture display, a smoke detector with a strobe light, no-tie elastic shoelaces and a seat cushion that helps a person rise from a chair. The exhibit traveled to five area libraries, where visitors were able to try out the tools and ask local experts questions. Healthy Peninsula designed the exhibit to be lent to other organizations, such as community centers, and featured at events, such as health expos.