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Wilton Manors, FL

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Park enhancements

Description: To improve the aesthetic appeal of Coral Gardens Park, this project installed new lighting, plants and a Little Free Library. It also engaged community members through a renaming contest and block party.

Marsing, ID

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Park enhancements

Description: The city will install an outdoor fitness court, which will be available free of charge to residents of all ages and abilities. To make the space inviting, the city will also create a mural.

Charleston, SC

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Park enhancements

Description: Hampstead Square is Charleston's oldest public green space. But the square had fallen into disrepair after years of neglect, made worse by flooding. Keep Charleston Beautiful partnered with the City of Charleston to launch a multi-year park revitalization, part of broader work to bring greenspace to the community. They installed an irrigation system and updated landscaping. To give nearby residents free internet access, they also set up a Wi-Fi hotspot. Volunteers -- including community members and local businessowners -- helped complete the work and chip in additional funding. Inspired by the progress, organizers later added a new historic marker and statue of famed Charleston blacksmith Philip Simmons, which inform visitors about the park's legacy. Since the improvements, the space has hosted health and fitness activities, youth programs and free outdoor movie screenings.

Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects

Gastonia, NC

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: The Gaston County Department of Health and Human Services beautified a public space near Gastonia's Schiele Museum and the town's library. To encourage residents to get out and walk, the Department added a sidewalk mural at the library, which depicts astronauts on a spacewalk. Museum staff installed an outdoor exhibit about the Solar System. In addition, project organizers commissioned a local metalworks shop to create benches with a celestial theme. Other placemaking enhancements included adding planters and new graphic designs to adorn the nearby transit shelter, as well an amenity map display to help visitors locate nearby trails and greenspace.

Charlotte, NC

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Pedestrian Safety

Description: This project will develop an artificial intelligence safety dashboard to identify dangerous streets and guide infrastructure upgrades.

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