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KNOX Inc. (2017) Print
2017 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Community Gardens
└ Community Gardens
KNOX rebuilt and upgraded the Hartford's Broad Street Community Garden to allow people of all ages and abilities to easily garden there. They added 22 raised garden beds, making plots more accessible to children, people with disabilities and older residents. Additionally, the organization hired a contractor to repair a garden fence and purchased a picnic table and a pergola -- a structure to create shade for gardeners. Since then, KNOX continues to create gardening opportunities for Hartford residents. The Hartford Courant reported in 2021 that KNOX manages 20 community gardens with a cumulative five acres of space. These include nearly 660 plots, each with an average size of 12 square feet.
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Union, SC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: This project provided stipends to residents over age 50 who work in a community garden and FoodShare boxes to residents in need of services.
Boston, MA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: This project repaired a hazardous walkway at Southwest Corridor Community Farm and built four raised-bed gardens for gardeners with disabilities at Savin and Maywood Community Garden.
Cleveland, OH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: The Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority saw an opportunity to revitalize an abandoned volleyball court behind one of their public housing buildings, creating a space to bring residents together and address social isolation. Using input from the residents of Riverview Tower, an apartment building for low-income older adults, they created a garden where residents can grow their own fruits and vegetables. The garden has places to sit and features accessibility features for residents with mobility challenges. Additionally, the space includes sensory areas, which allow visitors to smell, touch and taste herbs, fruits and berries.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Hartford, CT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: To draw more visitors to Colt Park, organizers with the Green and Blue Foundation hoped to make the area around the green space safer for pedestrians. Hartford's professional soccer team, the Hartford Athletic, hosts games at the park's stadium, the green space is otherwise underused. The Foundation joined with local partners and community leaders to host a walk audit to identify safety and aesthetic improvements that would make Colt Park more attractive to visitors. This project improved crosswalks near the park and installed traffic calming device, including speed bumps. Additionally, the Foundation beautified parking barriers, planted flower beds and added ADA-compliant benches.
Hartford, CT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: This project improved accessibility at Pope Park for older adults and people with disabilities. Project organizers installed ADA-compliant picnic tables with benches, designed to accommodate individuals using scooters or wheelchairs. The added amenities upgraded an area of the park with a play area and spray pool for small children. In this predominantly low-income neighborhood few homes have front or back yards, making Pope Park an important outdoor space for residents of all ages. Project organizers say the new seating highlighted a need for more accessible pathways in the park, which are now being designed.
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