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Franklin County Master Gardener Volunteers (2022) Print
2022 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Community Gardens
└ Community Gardens
The International Harvest Garden lacked shade and seating, leaving gardeners age 50-plus and families without a comfortable place to rest or gather. The project added a picnic table with side access for mobility aids, a shade trellis and improved walkways for easier navigation. These upgrades will support cultural events and reduce isolation, with volunteers saying the changes will make the garden "a sanctuary as well as a place of growth and education."
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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San Diego, CA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Many residents who live near San Diego's Park de la Cruz rent apartments, which limits their access to outdoor gathering spaces and gardening opportunities. To address this, organizers created a community garden on an overgrown parcel of land in the park. Many residents in Volunteers installed raised garden beds, designed to be accessible for people of all ages and abilities. Additionally, they added seating, a worktable, shade umbrellas and a gazebo to the space. To beautify the garden, and artist painted a mural onsite. The nonprofit also hosted a community planting day, where volunteers planted fruit trees and pollinator-friendly plans and filled the garden beds with vegetables. Since creating the garden, volunteers continue to care for the space. The garden provides produce for local families, as well as ingredients for a weekly cooking program for older adults.
Wichita, KS
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: This project will enhance accessibility by installing sidewalks, an accessible raised bed, a bench, and ergonomic tools. This project aims to support individuals with mobility issues, especially older adults, in the garden space.
Birmingham, AL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: This project expanded community garden facilities by renovating an existing trailer to provide restrooms, an office and a classroom/meeting space. The upgrades provide indoor space where Bush Hills Connections can host gardening classes. The garden also received new pet waste stations and hand and equipment sanitation stations. The garden -- once an abandoned school property -- is located within a food desert and provides fresh produce to 200 families. Additionally, it is a popular meeting place, particularly with older adults.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Columbus, OH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Public place improvements to withstand extreme weather events
Description: To reduce the urban heat island effect, Friends of the lower Olentangy Watershed planted large canopy trees at an elementary school playground and near a housing complex. The area has traditionally lacked tree cover, with the nearby properties having the least canopy cover of any residential area in the local watershed. The new trees increased the local canopy from 7 percent to 22 percent -- the average for Columbus as a whole. Volunteers -- including local Scouts -- helped plant the trees. In addition, project organizers installed benches at the playground to provide a respite to teachers, children and families using the playground equipment.
Columbus, OH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Emergency preparedness skills
Description: Frequent tornadoes and flooding put older adults with mobility or medical needs at high risk. To improve readiness, Franklin County Public Health distributed 160 emergency kits with essentials like flashlights, first aid supplies and convertible bags on wheels. They paired this with disaster planning education at more than 20 community events, including tips for pets and service animals. The effort boosted awareness, strengthened partnerships and set a model for future programs. This helps lay the groundwork for sustained outreach and policy advocacy to protect vulnerable residents.
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