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Marysville, OH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Expansion and enhancement of transportation options
Description: Older adults struggled to reach grocery stores and pharmacies because the community circulator ran only once a week. The project added a second weekly route, hired a licensed driver and enlisted volunteers to help riders with bags. The expanded service connected residents to stores, doctors and the Senior Center, giving them more flexibility and reducing isolation. Riders said the change "helped them feel more independent," and some visited the center for the first time, enjoying activities and socializing without worrying about transportation.
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.
LaGrange, GA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Expansion and enhancement of transportation options
Description: West Georgia Star addressed the lack of public transportation in LaGrange by providing shuttle rides for older adults to grocery stores and doctor visits. The project also installed a community garden and hosted activities like bingo to foster social engagement. Volunteers supported transportation and garden construction, creating opportunities for fellowship and reducing isolation. These efforts improved mobility and laid the groundwork for future health clinics and expanded services, helping residents stay connected and active in a rural community with limited transit options.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Washington, DC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public or private transit access
Description: While Washington, D.C. has a robust public transit system, rider amenities are not consistent throughout the city and the Pennsylvania Avenue East Corridor is particularly underserved. The city's Office of Planning hoped to use creative placemaking techniques to make waiting for the bus safer and more comfortable. Project organizers worked with local artists to design and build an Imagination Bench, which they placed on a well-used bus route. The bench has solar-powered illumination and a QR code on its side directs viewers to information about the bench and local planning efforts. Originally installed near Fort Dupont Park, planning staff intend to feature the brightly colored bench at the city's farmers markets, pop-up shops and other community events.
Washington, DC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Public or private transit access
Description: This project will engage volunteers and neighbors in DC Wards 5, 7 and 8 to improve walkability and accessibility. The initiative aims to reduce fall risks and strengthen community connections, especially for older adults.
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