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Oahu, HI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Kahuku Point is one of the few places on Oahu with an intact coastal strand habitat, which local organizations and volunteers are working to restore. To keep hikers on designated paths and prevent soil erosion, the North Shore Community Land Trust engaged more than 200 volunteers to plant native coastal plants and install fencing. The restoration project ensures a safe nesting habitat for at-risk and endangered animals, such as the Laysan albatross, green sea turtles, yellow-faced bees and Hawaiian monk seals. The habitat is crucial for the long-term survival of these species.
Keokuk, IA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: To improve community health concerns and opportunities for physical activity, Keokuk Parks Foundation converted a long-neglected set of tennis courts into six pickleball courts. In addition, they installed two benches onsite, along with a trash receptacle and signage. Today, the local library offers pickleball equipment on loan at its nearby site, while members of the local pickleball club conduct free lessons. The new courts have turned a neighborhood eyesore into a vibrant, attractive recreational outlet for residents. Pickleball -- a fast-paced game modeled on tennis and ping-pong -- is popular with older adults because it is low-impact and friendly on aging joints.
Dexter, ME
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: The Town of Dexter installed new benches on local streets and in parks to make them more accessible for older adults and those with mobility issues. Three parks -- Wayside, Ronco and Veterans Parks -- received the new benches. The Town also paved the entrance of Wayside Park, a popular gathering space for free weekly summer concerts. In addition, the Town offered Pop-Up Universities intended to provide residents with activities for learning, creativity and physical wellbeing, as well as social interaction. Topics include flower arranging, meditation and chair yoga.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Caribou, ME
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Addressing community health
Description: This project will create a digital toolkit to inform residents about elder abuse and engage them in its prevention, with the additional aim of sharing the toolkit with other Maine communities.
Fort Fairfield, ME
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: The library will transform an unused patch of grass into a memorial garden featuring flowers, an arbor and a gazebo. The space will be accessible for people who use wheelchairs or walkers, as well as for older adults.
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