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The Legacy Foundation (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Community Health and Economic Empowerment
└ Access to health care services
└ Access to health care services
Older adults in rural South Dakota often lack access to medical equipment, leaving many isolated and unable to recover safely. Owen's Outfitters, a free lending library, converted a donated wheelchair-accessible bus into a mobile unit with shelving and storage to deliver supplies statewide. Outreach has already doubled the number of clients served and boosted older adult participation. Partnerships with health agencies and retirement communities will help the service deliver heavy equipment directly to those who cannot travel, restoring independence for residents who need it most.
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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Waite Park, MN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Access to health care services
Description: Older adults in Minnesota often struggle to access mobility equipment and inclusive activities, limiting independence and safety. To address this, ConnectAbility launched a mobile Donated Equipment Program by refurbishing a trailer and hosting pop-up events that distributed walkers, wheelchairs and other aids. Volunteers also built a raised accessible garden to showcase adaptive gardening solutions and assistive tools. The project expanded access, inspired similar home gardens and sparked requests for technology seminars. One participant said the mobile program "brought relief and peace of mind" after her mother finally received a walker, reducing fall risks and restoring independence.
King County, WA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Access to health care services
Description: Working in the Beacon Hill area of Seattle, International Community Health Services launched a multilingual educational campaign to increase the awareness of online telehealth services in underserved immigrant communities, chiefly the local Asian American Pacific Islander population. The organization credits the effort with helping to increase rates of telehealth visits, vaccinations and awareness about medical resources.
Summerton, SC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Access to health care services
Description: Many lower-income families in Summerton struggled to access affordable health care services during the COVID-19 pandemic. This project continued a multi-year effort to convert shipping containers into mobile health clinics. The Town of Summerton partnered with SC Community Uplift to launch the Cross My Heart Free Mobile Clinic. Staffed by volunteers from local medical offices, hospitals and nursing training programs, the initiative will offer screenings, vaccines and primary care services to local families and seasonal farm workers. Organizers say the project will also offer hands-on experience to student nurses.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Sioux Falls, SD
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: The City of Sioux Falls hoped to encourage residents to consider active transportation -- walking and biking -- as a way to get around. To do this, the City created a quick-build infrastructure kit, which it used to install a temporary protected bike lane at one location and a curb bump-out at another. The bump out -- a safe extension of the sidewalk into the street -- makes pedestrians more visible to drivers and shortens the distance needed to cross the street. City planners gathered feedback from cyclists in the community, who suggested possible future locations for protected bike lanes. Because the infrastructure kit is mobile, the City hopes to deploy it elsewhere in the future.
Sioux Falls, SD
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: This demonstration project had the goal of calming traffic and improving the streetscape for pedestrians. Downtown Sioux Falls used paint to create temporary bumpouts -- or curb extensions -- at a local crosswalk, which shortened the distance pedestrians spent in the street. They also used large planters to create a physical barrier between pedestrians and cars and added reflective delineators to make crosswalks more visible at night. A camera installed onsite helped capture data about traffic and pedestrian behavior during the pop-up project. The result: Drivers actually slowed down said Joe Batcheller, the organization's president. The project helped reduce speeds by 20 percent on average. Project organizers say the demonstration sparked a cultural shift around pedestrian safety. Since the pop-up, the City has painted curb bumpouts in other locations.
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