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Meals on Wheels of Metro Tulsa (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Housing
└ Innovative home maintenance, repair and support services
└ Innovative home maintenance, repair and support services
Unsafe home conditions in Tulsa put older adults at risk of falls and loss of independence. The organization built 10 wheelchair ramps and installed grab bars in bathrooms, while volunteers replaced more than 100 lightbulbs to prevent hazards. These improvements allow clients to age safely in place and reduce fall risks. The project also set the stage for future home safety upgrades. One client shared gratitude after volunteers repaired a shattered storm door the same day, saying the quick response let him enter and exit his home safely.
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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Honolulu, HI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Innovative home maintenance, repair and support services
Description: Oahu is home to many older adults hoping to age in place. However, aging homes can make this difficult. Working with Palolo Chinese Home, Age-Friendly Honolulu created the Safe Homes 4 Kapuna program, which provides aging-in-place education, as well as home assessments and modifications, to older adults in the Palolo Valley neighborhood. The program produced print and electronic versions of a booklet, called Hale4Kapuna. The publication includes tips about renters' rights, permitting processes, funding sources and types of home modifications beneficial for older adults, as well as information on home assessments and basic handyman work. The group also provided home assessments to six older adults residing in the Palolo Valley.
La Crosse, WI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Innovative home maintenance, repair and support services
Description: As housing prices rise and homeowners age, many community members in La Crosse are forced to remain in homes that don't meet their needs. La Crosse Public Library staff hoped to help residents keep their homes and gardens maintained, so they launched a tool lending library. Now, residents can check out gardening and home improvement equipment, including ladders, saws, pressure washers and lightbulb changers. Organizers say allowing people to borrow tools helps them avoid pricey purchases and keep their homes from falling into disrepair. The initiative also complements home improvement training offered at the library. "Awesome resource for the community," one resident said of the lending program. "Many thanks for the hard work involved with setting this up and managing this special collection."
Houston, TX
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Innovative home maintenance, repair and support services
Description: To support its Chore Corps program, Interfaith Ministries purchased a trailer and outfitted it with tools. The organization's volunteers can borrow the tools to assist older adults with household chores and yard work, helping them age in place in their homes. Through the Chore Corps program, volunteers are each paired with an older adult, who they visit on a weekly basis. In addition, the organization distributed more than 80 space heaters to older adults.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Tulsa, OK
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Pedestrian Safety
Description: This project will enhance pedestrian safety and walkability in by improving crosswalks, adding directional signage, and incorporating street beautification.
Tulsa, OK
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: In North Tulsa, where grocery stores are miles away, older adults face tough choices between healthy food and essentials. The project expanded community gardens with raised beds and seating for easier access, plus a Monarch Waystation to support pollinators. Gardens produced fresh vegetables for residents and food festivals serving hundreds of households. The improvements strengthened intergenerational ties and inspired plans for day care partnerships. As one volunteer shared, gardening "helps with PTSD and allows me to get outside when I normally would stay in my house," showing the projects impact beyond nutrition.
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