Minneapolis, MN

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Improved wayfinding

Description: This project bolstered a network of mobility hubs -- spots around town that aid travelers -- with improved signage and seating. The City of Minneapolis hired local ambassadors to educate residents about their use.

Milwaukee, WI

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: This project contributed to efforts to revitalize a park, creating a safe, outdoor gathering for residents of Milwaukee's Historic King Drive neighborhood. Improvements included bollards with solar-powered lights, accessible picnic tables, trash receptacles and orange benches branded with the name of the neighborhood. Additionally, the BID convened an art task force and used tax increment financing to fund a new mural in the neighborhood. The success of the project also build momentum for branding efforts in nearby neighborhoods.

Rincon, PR

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: To help community members reconnect after COVID-19 shutdowns, ACOMER Puerto Rico created community gardens at several centers for older adults. The organization purchased raised garden beds for each site and provided seeds for planting. Additionally, ACOMERPR held seminars on gardening techniques and recruited agronomists to provide technical assistance onsite. Local leaders manage each garden and organize group gardening sessions. Project organizers say they hope the garden plots allow residents to grow their own produce, increasing the community's access to nutritious food. This supports ACOMERPR's wider mission to offer food and medical resources to at-risk older adults and people displaced by natural disasters.