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Met Cares Foundation (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public art installations
└ Public art installations
Until recently, Tulsa's Greenwood neighborhood was a food desert, with fresh and healthy food difficult to find. When the Oasis Fresh Market opened in North Tulsa, the Met Cares Foundation wanted to celebrate a healthier future. So they engaged the community to paint a mural for the new store. First, project organizers called on local students to create drawings celebrating the theme A Healthy Future for All Generations. Residents then voted on their favorite designs, selecting winners from elementary, middle and high school students. Finally, North Tulsa artists painted murals on the market's wall, using the students' designs as inspiration. Project organizers say the beautification effort allowed community members to depict a hopeful future for Greenwood. They plan to make the design contest an annual event.
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See More Projects Like This One
Peoria, IL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: Organizers with Phoenix Community Development Services know supportive housing facilities for unhoused Peoria residents are often drab. To address this, the nonprofit -- which develops transitional apartment complexes -- created a three-story mural in an alley between an existing building and an upcoming facility. Apartment residents provided input on the mural's design and helped install the artwork, which is visible from one of downtown Peoria's major thoroughfares.
Prowers County, CO
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: This project will install a solar-powered shade structure at a new senior center which will showcase art installations for visitors to enjoy.
Waianae, HI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: Nonprofit organization Making Dreams Come True Valley of Rainbows beautified 24 traffic utility boxes along a stretch of Farrington Highway, decorating them with colorful mini-murals. Local artists chose themes for the boxes representing the beauty and culture of Hawaii's Waianae Coast, with imagery including ocean waves, sea creatures, and culturally relevant messages, such as Malama 'aime, which reminds Hawaiians to respect and care for the land. Project organizers said the utility boxes had been the target of vandalism in the past but hope the new artwork will foster community pride. When you drive down Farrington Highway, you don't notice anything but maybe the houses and the beaches, artist Chris Koanui told HawaiiNewsNow. But there's so much more, cause these valleys are deep and rich.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Tulsa, OK
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: This project will support operations at a community garden. The organization will provide older adult gardeners with accessibility assists, including knee pads and rolling chairs. Additionally, they will launch nutrition education programming at the garden.
Tulsa, OK
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Addressing community health
Description: Indian Nations Council of Governments partnered with a local bikeshare organization -- This Machine Tulsa Bikes -- to deliver food to homebound residents living in a food desert. Project organizers deployed flyers and postcards to spread word about the program. The grocery delivery boxes included fresh produce, meat, bread, eggs and other staples, with a focus on high-nutrition, low-sodium items. Project organizers hoped the pilot project would improve food access and strengthen community partnerships. Project organizers report recipients enjoyed seeing their groceries arrive by bike. They also say the project helped inform local grocery stores about the ways they can help residents access food, such as allowing people to order food by phone and stock curated boxes of groceries.
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