Camp Hill, PA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Engaging residents in vibrant public places

Description: This Foundation sought to reduce barriers that kept older adults and people with disabilities from enjoying outdoor recreation, including transportation challenges, limited access to equipment and uncertainty about how to participate. The project created educational materials, trained volunteers, offered skill-building sessions and launched gear-lending libraries so residents could try activities without cost. Partnerships with local community centers helped provide transportation to parks and forests. These efforts increased participation and built confidence among older adults, while volunteers and partners learned how to support inclusive recreation. One participant noted that barrier-removal training sparked practical ideas that made nature feel more accessible.

Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.

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.

North Conway, NH

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Engaging residents in vibrant public places

Description: Older adults in the rural North Conway community often faced isolation and limited access to programs that support healthy eating and social connection, especially for those living alone or on fixed incomes. Pope Memorial Library addressed this gap by building a fully functioning kitchen within its meeting space, allowing food-centered programs to take place on site rather than relying on meals prepared elsewhere. The kitchen supported nutrition education, shared meals and hands-on cooking classes that lowered barriers to participation. By cooking and eating together, older adults built routines around gathering and learning, not just attending events. Anchoring these programs in a permanent, accessible space strengthened the library's role as a reliable place for belonging and positioned it to sustain wellness programming that keeps older adults engaged over time.

Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.