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Kailua Intermediate School (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public art installations
└ Public art installations
Hearing and recording the stories of elders is an important part of Hawaiian culture. Students and staff from the Kailua Intermediate School honored this heritage by painting a large mural facing Kailua District Park. The project launched with a Huaka'i (field experience), during which people of all ages visited historically significant sites in the community. Learning about local cultural practices and values, students heard mo'olelo (stories) from kupuna (elders) They then shared the stories with their peers, who joined in to design and paint the mural.
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Bismarck, ND
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Public art installations
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Farmington, NM
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Public art installations
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Lakewood, CO
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: Older adults who walk the Alameda Corridor to reach shops and health care often lacked safe places to pause, making trips exhausting and limiting independence. Alameda Connects installed a concrete pad with a bench and trash bin at a key resting point. It also added colorful ground murals at three sites, including a transit stop and Easterseals Colorado, to make the spaces feel safer and more welcoming. The project united older adults and students in painting days that sparked friendships and inspired neighborhood cleanups and business interest in murals. One teen said, "Thank you for letting me volunteer. This project gave me purpose."
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Honolulu, HI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Emergency preparedness skills
Description: Low-income older adults in Honolulu's Chinatown neighborhood experience everyday stresses that can compromise their ability to adapt to environmental impacts. The Krause Family Foundation connected local elders with climate change research scientists, artists and civic leaders. To do this, project organizers installed several self-teaching learning stations and created a temporary art installation. The mural-like installation -- which they displayed at the ARTS at Marks Garage -- portrayed individual and neighborhood climate action goals. Organizers say the project helped older adults consider the impact of stressors such as heat, a lack of walkability, unsafe crosswalks, flooding and poor waste management.
Honolulu, HI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: Dangerous multi-lane crossings left pedestrians navigating long gaps in traffic, with low vehicle yield rates that created daily safety concerns for people walking to homes, bus stops and community services. The project installed new signs, fresh pavement markings and a solar-powered rapid-flashing beacon to make the crosswalk more visible. Yield rates rose from 60 to 87 percent after installation, improving comfort for people on foot. One community member said, "Thank you for this, I feel better walking here." The pilot also showed the city it could deliver similar safety fixes more quickly at other high-need sites.
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