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Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Community Gardens
└ Community Gardens
Fort Hill faced food insecurity and lacked green spaces, leaving older adults with few options for fresh produce or outdoor gathering spots. The project expanded the community garden with 10 new beds, planted shade and fruit trees, and added berry bushes. Volunteers cleared litter and installed an inspirational mural on the basketball court, transforming the park into a vibrant hub. Residents expressed hope for the neighborhood's future, and plans now include chess tournaments and exercise equipment to sustain engagement.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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New Brunswick, NJ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Volunteers and adults age 50-plus will expand a church community garden by adding raised beds. The garden will grow more fresh produce for a local food pantry and provide hands-on gardening and nutrition education.
Montclair, CA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Montclair Community Garden has long been used by community members as a central gathering place, despite a lack of older adult-friendly amenities. The Montclair Community Foundation installed three raised garden beds, specifically designed for people with mobility restrictions, those who cannot easily bend down and gardeners who use wheelchairs. Additionally, the foundation installed an ADA-compliant picnic table, an 18-by-27-foot shade structure and new LED lighting. These changes enable residents of all ages and abilities to enjoy the garden. Now that the improvements are complete, project organizers say they are piloting a health education program at the garden, which will welcome patients whose doctors have recommended they spend time outdoors.
Highland Park, MI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: New community green spaces will be created in Highland Park. The work will engage older adults and youth in developing spaces such as flower gardens, rain gardens and other features that reduce stormwater runoff and enhance neighborhood environments.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Macon-Bibb, GA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: This project will transform a vacant lot near public transit into Spirit of Macon Park, a safe, attractive, multi-purpose green space. The park will offer wellness programs and activities.
Macon, GA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Public safety interventions
Description: Uneven sidewalks and overgrown paths near two Macon schools made walking unsafe for students and older adults. The Path to Success project cleared 25 streets, removed over 100 bags of debris and launched a Walking School Bus for more than 100 children. Older adults joined walk audits and served as porch watchers, creating safer routes and stronger community ties. "It inspires school attendance and safety in our most vulnerable neighborhoods," said the project manager. The effort also influenced local violence prevention planning and sparked interest from other schools, positioning the program as a model for neighborhood safety.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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