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Cutler Bay, FL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: To encourage residents to exercise and socialize with one another, the Town of Cutler Bay added accessible exercise equipment - with a shade canopy to keep visitors cool -- to Cutler Ridge Park. Although Hurricane Irma damaged the park during installation, the new equipment now gives older adults the opportunity to improve their balance, strength, flexibility, range of motion and coordination. Project organizers say many older adults visit the park with their children and using the new fitness machines, which resemble playground equipment, can feel more like playing than exercising. Since the project's completion. the Town has installed similar fitness equipment at two other local parks.
Wrens, GA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: In Wrens, older adults faced limited access to fitness programs, with the nearest community center 20 miles away. The project upgraded the Jefferson County Senior Center's fitness room with commercial treadmills, recumbent bikes, a cross trainer and free weights. They also received a laptop and camera for program management. A ribbon-cutting marked the improvements, which now support three weekly exercise classes and daily use by older adults. Participation surged as residents embraced consistent routines, boosting energy and commitment to health. The center reports its strongest wellness program yet, laying the groundwork for future health initiatives.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Mount Airy, NC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Mount Airy Parks and Recreation installed decorative benches and bike racks, planted trees and improved signage along the Granite City Greenway to make the area more accessible and user-friendly for people of all ages. Already the most-used outdoor recreation facility in town, the visits to the Greenway increased more than 30 percent since the COVID-19 pandemic. Project organizers report that visitors use the benches and bike racks on a daily basis. They say exposure for this project helped secure local funding and made the greenway more visible tourists. Work is now underway to expand the Greenway by 1.3 miles.
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: 2018
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Before the advent of air conditioning, a Southern home was not complete without a front porch with a swing. To replicate the experience of gathering on a porch, the City of Charlotte installed swings at two bus stops in place of the more traditional bench. Located along Belmont Avenue -- a corridor where many older adults rely on public transportation -- the two-person swings provide a space for riders to socialize as they wait for their bus. Inspired by the popularity of the swings, the City is exploring other opportunities for placemaking around local bus stops.
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