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Shaping our Appalachian Region (2025) Print
2025 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Digital Connections
└ Expanding High-Speed Internet
└ Expanding High-Speed Internet
Shaping Our Appalachian Region confronted limited broadband and skills that kept older adults from telehealth, secure online accounts and family connections. The team launched a mobile laptop lab with hands-on classes in AI, digital safety and basic computer skills, paired with in-home satellite internet for 23 older adults. A Digital Navigator provided one-on-one help, and participants completed digital literacy coursework with certifications. One resident said reliable access felt like having a doctor "in your living room," underscoring reduced barriers to care. The project created repeatable curricula and a scalable model for ongoing digital inclusion.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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Los Angeles, CA
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Project Category: Expanding High-Speed Internet
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Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Dale, TX
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: Expanding High-Speed Internet
Description: The center will install free public Wi-Fi and offer bilingual internet safety classes for older adults. Residents will use online tools for health, benefits and family connection while learning safe habits.
Green Valley, AZ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: Expanding High-Speed Internet
Description: The program will provide devices and one-on-one digital navigator support in Green Valley. Older adults will build skills to use online services and maintain independence.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Whitesburg, KY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Trails
Description: The Tanglewood Trail is a three-mile, lighted path that travels through Whitesburg's downtown. To make the trail more useable for people of all ages, Appalshop laid new blacktop to create even, at-grade pavement and installed benches at regular intervals to give people a place to rest. The path connects local businesses and allows residents to navigate downtown on foot. Project organizers say the trail will eventually connect to the 1,800-mile-long Great Eastern Trail.
Jenkins, KY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: Cracked sidewalks along Jenkins' main corridor made trips to the library, pharmacy and city hall risky for older adults in nearby housing. Appalshop repaired walkways and added wheelchair ramps, restoring safe access to essential services. A striking Luna Moth mural now anchors the corridor, symbolizing resilience after the 2022 flood and offering a space for reflection. Residents say the upgrades let them walk with confidence and reconnect socially, while the improvements set the stage for future projects like the planned Tanglewood Trail.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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