Warrensburg, MO

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: To activate an alley in Warrensburg's downtown, this project installed seating, lighting, planters and public art in the space. Local artists created a mural and painted an outdoor staircase that connects the alley to a nearby parking lot. Additionally, the local United Way worked with local elementary students to create decorative ceramic tiles, which they attached to the alley's planters. Project organizers hope to continue partnering with local schools to create art for the community. They also plan to hold events in the alley.

Seattle, WA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: To help the Southwest Seattle Senior Center become a safer and more inviting gathering space, organizers with Rebuilding Together Seattle made physical improvements to the facility. This included refurbishing handrails, demolishing a shed and replacing it with expanded ADA-compliant parking for members, repainting the building's faade and sprucing up landscaping. RTS used the project to promote its Open Volunteer Days, attracting people from the community to assist with the work. The Center serves an area of Seattle with the city's highest poverty rates and largest share of low-income residents. Project organizers said they hoped the improvements would help position the Center as a safe haven and community hub.

Lebanon, IN

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: Older adults often skipped downtown events because seating was scarce and carrying chairs or umbrellas was difficult. To remove these barriers, the organization introduced the Helping Hub, a mobile cart stocked with folding and collapsible chairs with armrests. It also includes umbrella-cane combos for shade and mobility support and brochures on local services. Volunteers assembled and deployed the cart at events, making gatherings more inclusive. Participants expressed gratitude, saying it felt like "rolling out the welcome mat." The cart will continue to serve future events and is prompting other groups to consider similar accessibility measures.

Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.