Jacksonville, FL

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026

Project Category: Park enhancements

Description: Castaway Island Preserve will be upgraded with accessibility improvements, including an entry kiosk, benches, and improved wayfinding to support older adults’ use of nature for walking, rest, and wellness.

Malad City, ID

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023

Project Category: Park enhancements

Description: Older adults in Malad lacked safe pickleball courts, forcing play on deteriorating tennis courts or indoors at inconvenient hours. The city built eight regulation courts with fencing in Malad City Park, with volunteers-mostly age 50-plus-helping pour concrete, install nets and stripe courts. The new space is used daily and has sparked local tournaments, drawing players from teens to those in their 80s. "Pickleball is alive and well in Malad," one longtime player said, reflecting how the project boosted health, recreation and community life. Plans include adding lighting and benches for comfort.

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

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.