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Rebuilding Together Nashville (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public space activation
└ Public space activation
To help older adults age in place in their community, Rebuilding Together Nashville made improvements to three community spaces in the Bordeaux neighborhood. The nonprofit gathered feedback from residents to choose which spaces to update. At FiftyForward Bordeaux -- a senior center -- volunteers installed a shade structure, allowing visitors to comfortably gather outdoors. They also added a shed onsite and updated the center's interior, including painting and installing shelving. The Infinity Center is an after-school center that hosts children's theater and community classes. There, volunteers replaced windows, sealed water leaks and repaired a dilapidated deck. Finally, they helped Brooklyn Heights Community Garden transition from a group of raised beds to a full-scale urban farm. Volunteers demolished and moved old garden beds and prepared the site for a new pack and wash station, greenhouse and production garden.
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Gardner, KS
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: To generate community support for a planned greenspace in Gardiner, the City created a parklet. Organizers hoped the temporary installation -- created in the footprint of two on-street parking spaces -- would help residents envision the value of outdoor space improvements coming soon to city hall. The pop-up space consists of benches, a table, planters and shade canopies. The parklet's portable, modular design makes the space reconfigurable, allowing the City to set it up different locations -- even after implementation of its long-term park project.
Toledo, WA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: After fires and closures left Toledo with few gathering spaces, the library became a lifeline for residents, especially older adults. A failing roof threatened its survival, risking loss of books and a vital social hub. The grant funded a new roof and added a comfortable seating area near large-print books, plus events like an ice cream social with a historic slide show and computer classes. These upgrades secured the librarys future, boosted attendance and volunteerism and deepened intergenerational ties. As one volunteer shared, "Our new roof held up beautifully to... torrential downpours and high winds," easing fears of closure.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Houston, TX
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Many residents of Houston's Gulfton neighborhood live in apartment buildings, which lack outdoor space. Organizers with My Connect Community set out to give these residents a place to gather. They created a placemaking tool kit tailored to multifamily property owners. The kit includes portable carts adorned with laser-cut designs meant to represent Gulfton's diversity. Each cart also features a shade umbrella and a chalkboard. Additionally, the kits include outdoor rugs, bistro lighting and seating. Then My Connect Community hosted a series of pop-up events on side streets and in on-street parking spaces. The temporary activations gave Gulfton residents a chance to socialize with one another and allowed organizers to share information about community resources, such as public transit service and library programming. In the future, My Connect Community hopes to ensure community events are culturally informed and engage volunteers who speak residents' languages.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Clarksville, TN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Supporting family caregivers
Description: Mental Health America of the Midsouth expanded its Dementia-Friendly Churches Project, which supports older adults and their caregivers by training church staff, volunteers and others about the effects of dementia and how to help those affected. Employing a multi-denominational, multi-belief system approach, MHA trained 200 individuals at 30 places of worship in Clarksville and Franklin. The organization held trainings online and recorded the sessions to make them available after the fact. They also offered congregations technical support from a certified dementia specialist.
Nashville, TN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Digital navigation skills
Description: Older adults in North Nashville faced digital barriers that limited access to health care, financial tools and social connection. The YMCA launched a Digital Connectivity Pilot with 23 computer lab sessions staffed by local HBCU students. It also hosted three Lunch and Learn workshops on telehealth, estate planning and financial literacy. These efforts helped participants gain confidence using technology. One member said the program's telehealth training made them less scared to seek care remotely. Others learned to prevent scams and manage retirement accounts. The YMCA plans to expand this model across its six-county service area.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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