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Opelika Main Street (2022) Print
2022 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public space activation
└ Public space activation
Organizers with Opelika Main Street hoped to draw more visitors downtown. To do this, they activated an underused public space by adding outdoor games. Volunteers installed a giant, colorful chess and checkers set, suitable for people of all ages to enjoy. Organizers say the new game center represents a safe place for residents of all ages to gather.
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Browning, MT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: This project enhanced the Eagle Shield Senior Center's outdoor space, adding canopy swings, as well as fencing and landscaping. Project organizers hope the outdoor area becomes an age-friendly gathering space, giving Blackfeet elders a place to share their culture and language with each other -- and with future generations.
Dunedin, FL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: This project added universal-access picnic tables to the playground at the library. It also created a story walk with signage explaining the city's history and other distinctions.
Ashland, WI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: A survey showed residents in Ashland wanted more outdoor seating in the city's downtown. As part of larger efforts to revitalize the commercial district the City worked with Ashland Main Street to install decorative benches. The City engaged teams of artists -- including college students and staff from the local food co-op -- to design artwork for the seating. Then, with the help of volunteers, project organizers then installed one bench on every block of Ashland's nine-block commercial area. Each depicts imagery related to the community's identity, including scenes from local history or ecology. Paying homage to nearby Lake Superior, several benches have a water theme. Project organizers say Ashland is known as the mural capital of Wisconsin, and the benches work with other public art installations to draw people to visit downtown.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Camp Hill, AL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Camp Hill residents lacked access to fresh produce and safe spaces for exercise, leaving many older adults in a food desert. The foundation responded by building raised beds for a fall garden, installing fencing and creating a one-mile asphalt walking path. Volunteers planted greens that fed more than 200 people and added signage to make the space inviting. The project now serves as a permanent resource for healthy living and sparked plans for composting, marketing produce and adding a hoop house for year-round growing.
LaGrange, GA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Expansion and enhancement of transportation options
Description: West Georgia Star addressed the lack of public transportation in LaGrange by providing shuttle rides for older adults to grocery stores and doctor visits. The project also installed a community garden and hosted activities like bingo to foster social engagement. Volunteers supported transportation and garden construction, creating opportunities for fellowship and reducing isolation. These efforts improved mobility and laid the groundwork for future health clinics and expanded services, helping residents stay connected and active in a rural community with limited transit options.
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