Charleston, SC

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: The American College of the Building Arts installed benches and a new pergola to create a multigenerational gathering space at the Community's Hope Impact Center, a local community center. The College saw the installation process as an opportunity for education, holding workshops on masonry where volunteers helped lay bricks for the space's walkway. With a goal of preserving, enriching and educating about architectural heritage, the organization trains artisans in traditional building crafts, such as carpentry and forging architectural iron. It was founded in the wake of Hurricane Hugo in 1989, which damaged or destroyed much of coastal South Carolina's historic architecture.

Opelika, AL

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: This project installed an outdoor game station in an underutilized public space, so residents and visitors could have fun while spending time downtown.

Neillsville, WI

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: This project will transform a brushy area next to the community walking trail into a creekside greenspace with an accessible picnic table, bench, and pathway. Volunteers will clear brush and install ADA-compliant amenities.