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San Antonio, TX

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Digital navigation skills

Description: Older adults in Opportunity Home communities faced a deep digital divide, lacking devices and skills to manage health care, benefits and communication. The project installed laptop computers in 11 properties and provided additional laptops for classes led by Older Adults Technology Services. Across nine sites, 35 courses delivered 90 hours of instruction, with nearly 100 graduates gaining confidence to navigate online services and connect with family. The initiative reduced isolation, created peer support networks and eliminated barriers like transportation costs. This has positioned the community for sustained digital inclusion and future partnerships.

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

New Orleans, LA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026

Project Category: Digital navigation skills

Description: The church will set up a solar powered computer hub offering peer led training, telehealth support and basic artificial intelligence learning. Reliable access will help older adults build skills and receive help during outages.

New York City, NY

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Digital navigation skills

Description: In Southeast Queens, many older adults face a digital divide that limits access to health care and social connection. Forestdales Baby Genius program paired older adults with tech-savvy youth for hands-on training, teaching skills like texting, email attachments and app downloads. Ten youth tutors worked with 50 older adults in one-on-one sessions, while workshops and events reached more than 700 participants. The program reduced isolation and built confidence, enabling older adults to use telehealth and connect with family. One participant said learning to video chat with her daughter using her phone was "life-changing," and demand for more sessions continues to grow.

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

Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects

Spokane, WA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026

Project Category: Disaster Resilience Other

Description: Low‑income adults age 50-plus will receive portable air conditioners, including installation and heat safety education. The project helps reduce health risks during extreme heat events and connects residents to ongoing support.

Spokane, WA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Expansion and enhancement of transportation options

Description: Spokane Neighborhood Action Partners launched Neighbors on the Go, a volunteer driver program to transport older adults and individuals with disabilities to medical appointments. To raise awareness of the service and assure riders that the drivers had been vetted, SNAP set out to brand the program. They distributed brochures about Neighbors on the Go to local community centers and health clinics. In addition, SNAP equipped each volunteer vehicle with magnetic door decals and provided SNAP-branded polo shirts and name tags to drivers. SNAP also hosted training sessions with new volunteer drivers and provided them with personal protective equipment to keep them safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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