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The Pennsylvania State University (2020) Print
2020 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Engaging residents in vibrant public places
└ Engaging residents in vibrant public places
To help localities gather feedback from residents about local livability, this project developed a guide to community engagement techniques. The pilot project, called One Community - Many Generations, also included an online assessment tool. To test the guide and virtual survey tool, project organizers convened community members -- including elected leaders -- who used the online tool to share their feedback, followed by a virtual conversation. Input from residents led the University to purchase stone benches, which they installed in downtown State College, giving people an outdoor gathering space. Since then, working groups formed during the pilot have continued to improve the community. Recent projects include trash cleanup, improved signage and intergenerational events.
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Blaine County, ID
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Engaging residents in vibrant public places
Description: Like many places, Blaine County struggled with community connectedness and social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. To combat this problem, The Senior Connection created the Wood River Valley Daffodil Festival. Over three autumn days, a multigenerational group of volunteers planted 30,000 daffodil bulbs at the Sawtooth Botanical Garden. As planned, the flowers blossomed during the festival, which took place the following spring. The volunteers included older adults, school classes, landscape companies and other community businesses. The festival -- which features food trucks, live music and garden tours -- is now an annual event.
New Orleans, LA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Engaging residents in vibrant public places
Description: This project will rehabilitate a community center to create a public space for older adults. The center will include a computer lab for digital literacy, health and nutrition education, and activities to promote social connectedness.
Wichita, KS
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Engaging residents in vibrant public places
Description: The Wichita Public Library and Bike Walk Wichita launched three historical walking tours, which can be accessed through a smartphone app. It's all about inspiring curiosity in people about their hometown. According to Jeff Flor of the Downtown Development Corporation, Wichita has a lot of stories to tell, from the drugstore sit-in during the Civil Rights movement to the now-gone Victory Arch honoring World War I soldiers. To promote the app, library staff and volunteers participated in an open streets festival while wearing t-shirts with the message Ask me how to travel time.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Philadelphia, PA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: Asociacion Puertorriquenos en Marcha completed streetscaping along an important corridor of Germantown Avenue in North Philadelphia. Small-scale, low-cost -- but high-impact -- improvements began with street cleaning. Volunteers then worked to add elements to offset pedestrians from traffic and slow down passing vehicles. They installed decorative fences, signs at pedestrian crossings, flexible bollards, sidewalk art and temporary island installations. The project was part of a larger effort to revive what was once a vibrant, central commercial corridor and residents reacted positively. One said, "It makes it look like people actually live here, like they do." Another added, "This makes it easier for children to know where they can safely cross." Organizers are seeking to make the island installations permanent. Additionally, the City committed to restriping the street and continue cleanup efforts, while community members plan to replicate beautification elements on nearby vacant lots.
Erie, PA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: HomeFit Modifications
Description: Older adults in the East Bayfront neighborhood live in aging homes without basic safety features, increasing fall risk and discomfort. The project installed grab bars, handheld shower heads, reinforced railings, raised toilets and new lighting, along with smoke and CO2 detectors and window air conditioners. Residents reported feeling safer and more comfortable. One woman with a bad knee said additional upgrades beyond her initial request, including a raised toilet and faucet, made her home far easier to navigate.
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