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Johnsburg, NY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: HomeFit Modifications
Description: In Johnsburg, many older adults with limited mobility faced unsafe bathrooms and hard-to-navigate entrances, putting daily routines and independence at risk. With limited means to pay for fixes, hazards went unaddressed. The committee launched a pilot HomeFit Modification Program and completed improvements in seven homes using volunteers and town staff. Work included entrance and bathroom upgrades and a critical wiring repair that removed a fire risk discovered during a visit. The pilot also prompted public and private commitments to continue the program in 2026 and expand the scope so more households can receive larger safety upgrades.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Danforth, ME
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: HomeFit Modifications
Description: This project will host four educational meetings in a tri-county rural region to show older adults and their families how to make homes safer, focusing on fall and injury prevention.
Philadelphia, PA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: HomeFit Modifications
Description: Older adults in Philadelphia faced home safety hazards that threatened independence and increased fall risk. To address this, the program hosted three workshops led by health professionals, teaching practical strategies for aging in place. Participants received tailored products like shower chairs and collapsible tubs, installed to improve safety. Eighteen older adults now live more confidently at home, and many reported immediate habit changes. One client said that these improvements made her routine safer and more comfortable, and the project fostered increased safety and independence.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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Kennett Square, PA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: With the goal of supporting small businesses downtown, this project created the first parklet in Kennett Square. Before installing the mini-park, only one side of the borough's main street featured wide sidewalks and could be closed to vehicles on the weekends. Project organizers hoped to expand the space available for outdoor dining and gathering. To do this, the Historic Kennett Square repurposed three on-street parking spaces, installing deck flooring, adding overhead string lights and setting out picnic tables and planters. Four restaurants -- two coffee shops and two restaurants -- used the space. Volunteers designed the parklet be torn down ahead of the winter months and set back up in the spring. Project organizers say the parklet helped demonstrate the value of placemaking projects.
Lancaster, PA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Public safety interventions
Description: Older adults in southeast Lancaster faced unsafe, littered sidewalks and poor lighting on their walk to the Marin Senior Center, limiting access to meals and social activities. To improve safety and comfort, SACA trimmed and planted trees, installed benches and added 25 porch-mounted trash receptacles to reduce litter. Large planters now block illegal parking, and nine security cameras enhance visibility. They now enjoy cleaner, greener streets and artistic seating like a Monarch butterfly bench, creating a welcoming route that fosters social interaction and sets a model for future neighborhood revitalization.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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