Washington, DC

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Emergency preparedness skills

Description: Extreme heat threatens older adults in DC, especially those aging at home without resources or knowledge to prepare. To address this, the agency held 17 workshops at local centers and villages, reaching over 450 participants, and distributed more than 500 Cool Kits with essential supplies. A 2025 emergency preparedness calendar featuring inclusive artwork and seasonal safety tips was also created. Attendees reported greater confidence and asked for more sessions. One participant shared "I did not know the difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke," and noted the importance of this training.

Portland, OR

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Emergency preparedness skills

Description: Older adults in Portland's Lloyd neighborhood needed better emergency preparedness. The Lloyd Prepares Challenge engaged residents in five weeks of tasks like creating personal plans, gathering supplies and attending workshops. Sixty participants completed 130 tasks and received items such as first aid kits and go-bags. "It feels so good to know what to do if something bad happens," said a retirement community member after a Stop the Bleed class. The effort sparked new partnerships and will evolve into a Neighborhood Emergency Team.

West Sacramento, CA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019

Project Category: Emergency preparedness skills

Description: West Sacramento officials were disturbed by the statistics: older adults are more than twice as likely to die or be injured in a house fire. City officials commissioned a video to educate older adults about ways to improve fire safety, focusing specifically on people living in areas with higher incidences of fire-related accidents. The video featured the local fire marshal and residents, who were quizzed on their knowledge of fire safety. They discussed whether they had fire extinguishers and smoke detectors in their homes and what they thought was the leading cause of fires. The video aired on public access television and project organizers posted it online and promoted it via social media. Additionally, the City handed out 96 free smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to locals.