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Placemaking US (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Community Gardens
└ Community Gardens
In Long Beach, older adults lacked spaces for cultural connection in a neighborhood marked by poverty and pollution. Placemaking US built a traditional communal comal using techniques developed long ago, and hosted tortilla-making workshops where elders taught masa preparation. More than 100 participants, including local chefs and volunteers, joined intergenerational sessions that celebrated heritage and sustainability. The project created lasting programming at Rancho Los Cerritos, turning it into a hub for cultural exchange and reducing isolation. One participant shared, "I didn't realize how much I missed this until I felt the heat from the comal and smelled the fresh masa."
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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Pearl City, HI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: An overgrown lot at Pearl City High School left older adults without a welcoming place to gather. Volunteers cleared one acre and built "The Haven" with raised beds, tropical orchards, a pumpkin patch, picnic areas and a deck for classes. Festivals, workdays and workshops co-led by students and older adults turned the space into a hub for connection and learning. The school created a coordinator role to sustain the garden, and partnerships are advancing solar-powered irrigation and plans for outdoor classrooms and specialized gardens. The project will help spur long-term benefits to the community.
Aztec, NM
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Aztec lacked inclusive spaces for older adults to gather and reconnect after years of isolation. The Leanor was renovated with ADA features, indoor seating and outdoor upgrades including a pergola, firepit and six garden spaces for flowers and vegetables. Pop-up craft fairs and coffee gatherings brought residents together during renovations. The space now hosts storytelling, artisan markets and intergenerational programs, with older adults leading gardening and art activities. One organizer noted teens move furniture were eager to help and loved visiting with them, generating community engagement.
Newport, NH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Newport residents lacked outdoor space for gardening and socializing, especially older adults in nearby housing. To address this, the town converted an unused parcel into a community garden with fencing, ADA-compliant walkways and raised beds for 20 families. Volunteers helped prepare the site, creating a space where residents can grow food and flowers, connect with neighbors and enjoy the outdoors. Located near senior housing, the garden offers accessible opportunities for older adults and will host events and donate crops to local food programs.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Long Beach, CA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Transportation Systems Change
Description: Older adults in Long Beach faced severe transportation barriers that kept many from medical care and social programs, deepening isolation after the pandemic. The Healthy Aging Center provided more than 1,000 free taxi rides for appointments, pharmacies and grocery trips, helping residents regain independence and reconnect with community resources. "This program brought me back to life... getting out of the house again after staying at home these past few years has been a blessing," said one participant. The service also improved compliance with health plans and sparked advocacy for sustainable transportation options.
Long Beach, CA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Addressing community health
Description: During Walk Long Beach's inaugural Ranchos Walk -- a 9.4-mile hike -- more than 400 walkers laced up their shoes and strode along the city's high ridge. Event organizers set up temporary wayfinding signs and made improvements to a crosswalk to make it more visible. Meant to raise awareness about the benefits of walking for fitness and recreation, the event introduced participants to streets and neighborhoods that many had never seen before. Stretching from Rancho Los Alamitos in the southeast to Rancho Los Cerritos in the north, the walk's route showcased Long Beach's agricultural history: The area's two original ranchos date to the 1800s. Organizers initially anticipated half as many walkers to participate, but residents of all ages flocked to the challenge. In 2021, Walk Long Beach repeated the event with the theme of women in Long Beach history.
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