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Mobile Medical Museum (2022) Print
2022 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Community Gardens
└ Community Gardens
When the Mobile Medical Museum added a medicinal garden to its campus, the space included a a wooden boardwalk. However, older adults and people with disabilities struggles to navigate the boardwalk. This project made the garden ADA-compliant. Organizers removed the boardwalk and repaved and widened a crumbling concrete path leading to the garden. The garden -- which features medicinal herbs -- hosts community events, as well as art and horticultural therapy classes for people with disabilities and their families.
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St. Louis, MO
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: North St. Louis faces severe food insecurity, leaving older adults with limited access to fresh produce and safe outdoor spaces. Urban Harvest STL grew over 1,000 pounds of food at Fresh Starts Garden, donating most to programs serving older adults. The team installed accessible raised beds and picnic tables and repaired a generator to help power tools, making gardening easier for those with mobility challenges. Volunteers and apprentices age 50-plus joined in, and the season ended with a celebration of 100 community members. The garden manager said, "Gardening is very rewarding... The garden benefits the whole community because they get to see something positive going on."
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Chesapeake, VA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Residents in a low-income Chesapeake neighborhood lacked access to fresh food and safe spaces for social engagement. The project created an accessible community garden at a local library with raised beds, adaptive tools, wheelchair-friendly seating and Mobi-mat paths. Volunteers hosted a "Golden Age Garden Party" featuring health screenings, cooking demonstrations and chair yoga. The garden now provides fresh produce and a welcoming space for older adults to gather and exercise. "I now have access to fresh vegetables in my own backyard," said one resident.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Brevard, NC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: In Brevard's Rosenwald neighborhood, residents lacked access to fresh food and safe outdoor spaces. The city created a community garden with raised beds for older adults and children, added ADA-compliant benches and picnic tables and hosted events to engage neighbors. The garden now offers a place for healthy activity and social connection. One resident shared joy at gardening with her son, who has a brain injury, while another found comfort there after losing a partner.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Mobile, AL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Organizers with Via Health, Fitness and Enrichment Center envisioned a community green space where Mobile residents of all ages can interact. This project added two gazebos to the space, providing visitors with shade. Project organizers also installed a bike rack and dog watering station onsite and volunteers constructed a raised garden bed for growing flowers, herbs and vegetables. Since the transformation, Midtown Meets has become a meetup spot for local walking and biking clubs, a space for college students to take study breaks and a place for older adults to socialize. In addition, a new volunteer group, called Midtown Neighbors, continues to meet to work in the community garden beds.
Mobile, AL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Disaster Preparedness
Description: Older adults in Mobile County face frequent hurricanes and tornadoes, yet many lacked confidence in how to prepare or respond. The health department addressed this gap through three small-group sessions that focused on practical planning, evacuation decisions and medical readiness. Residents age 65-plus took part and received simple tools, including emergency kits and planning checklists in English and Spanish. Surveys showed clear gains in confidence and intent, with many participants planning to create or update written plans, refresh supplies and coordinate with family or neighbors. By pairing education with tangible resources, the project helped older adults move from awareness to action and reduced the likelihood of confusion or delay during future emergencies.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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