Falcon Heights, MN

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Park enhancements

Description: The Philando Castile Peace Garden Committee prepared the site of its planned memorial garden honoring Falcon Heights resident Philando Castile, who was killed by police in 2016. The Committee completed surveys of the property, conducted soil testing and created renderings of the planned garden. They created mockups of a fence designed to feature community art, as well as a remembrance bench. The Committee also hosted community work days, where volunteers prepared the soil and planted greenery. In the months since, the Committee has continued to raise private donations for the garden's creation and long-term upkeep. They recently completed accessible pathways, the remembrance bench and art at the site. Located at the site of the 2016 shooting, the garden is designed to give visitors a space to collective reflect, explore solutions to combat violence and foster community agency.

St. Paul, MN

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Reconnecting Communities

Description: The construction of I-94 shattered St. Paul's Rondo neighborhood, displacing families and erasing community life. To preserve this history and amplify older residents' voices, the project interviewed 13 older adults and collected photos to create a virtual reality experience showing Rondo before, during and after freeway construction. Two VR exhibitions engaged residents and youth, fostering dialogue and promoting healing. These immersive stories now serve as a permanent archive, informing redevelopment discussions and promoting more inclusive urban planning for years to come.