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Limestone Development Foundation with Age-Friendly Limestone (2020) Print
2020 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Park enhancements
└ Park enhancements
Part of larger efforts to revitalize a public park, this project created a walking path. Volunteers installed the path, which winds around newly installed playground equipment, giving residents of all ages a space to exercise and socialize. Project organizers say they are considering ways to expand the pathway to more areas of the park in the future.
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Bartlett, KS
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: As part of the City of Bartlett's efforts to revitalize its downtown, City leaders hoped to bring residents a new outdoor space. In 2008, the local land bank donated a Main Street parcel to the city for a new park. However, a lapse in funding left many areas of the long-planned green space underused. This project added a small shelter house, picnic tables and children's playground equipment to the park. A team of local multigenerational volunteers completed the work.
Knik-Fairview, AK
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Settler's Bay Park in Mat-Sui Valley is a sanctuary for residents and tourists seeking to view migratory birds and spawning salmon. To make the park ADA-compliant, the Anchorage Great Land Trust installed an accessible scenic overlook platform with seating. The platform enables park visitors of all ages and abilities to enjoy majestic views of Cook Inlet from the area's only coastal park.
Vergas, MN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Residents lacked a local space to honor veterans, forcing older adults to travel long distances to visit memorials. The project created a Veterans Memorial Park with two concrete circles featuring flagpoles, granite benches and engraved pillars listing veterans' names. Landscaping, an archway entrance and patriotic rock art by students added to the park's appeal. The park now serves as a permanent, ADA-compliant space, for remembrance and community events. Former critics became supporters, with many local veterans now memorialized on benches and pillars.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Caribou, ME
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Addressing community health
Description: Caribou faced a hidden crisis of abuse of older adults, and volunteers were without tools to educate or intervene. The group built a multimedia toolkit with expert-backed content, video vignettes and safety features to guide prevention and reporting. The resource will be shared statewide and used in local programs, strengthening community capacity to protect older adults and empowering them to speak up and access help.
Fort Fairfield, ME
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Downtown Fort Fairfield lacked green space, leaving older adults without a safe, accessible spot to relax or connect. The library created a Community Memorial Garden with an ADA-compliant path, electrified gazebo, memorial benches and solar lighting. The space now hosts programs like tea socials and poetry readings and offers free Wi-Fi for those without home internet. Residents visit to honor loved ones. One woman said she comes to visit with her sister at a memorial bench. The project has spurred donations and volunteer support, ensuring the garden remains a vibrant community hub.
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