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South Dakota State University Extension (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public space activation
└ Public space activation
A pocket park and community garden in Martin had fallen into disrepair, but organizers with South Dakota State University Extension hoped to breathe new life into the space. They engaged volunteers to paint the Hope Garden's pergola and remove broken picnic tables, replacing them with new, accessible tables. Additionally, they repaired the garden's drip irrigation system, installed a trash can and added a portable handwashing station. A local artist also painted a mural onsite and new solar lights make the mini-park feel safter at night. Project organizers say the Hope Garden will offer a space for community events and educational offerings. They say improvements to the site helped make the space more sustainable and welcoming to community members.
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See More Projects Like This One
Clarkesville, GA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: This project will install a StoryWalk which will allows families to go from one post to another while reading pages of a story together. It will provide parents and grandparents a way to introduce children to reading while getting exercise.
Bethel, ME
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: To provide residents with places to sit and gather, the Bethel Age-Friendly Community partnered with local artists and craftspeople to create benches and picnic tables. As a thank-you to organizations that have supported age-friendly work in the region, organizers gave the seating to partner organizations who assist with age-friendly programming, events and volunteer efforts. The benches and tables now sit in each of the six towns that make up the Bethel region. Each table is adorned with a chess board and each bench features decorations that pay homage to the town where it sits, with volunteers chipping in to paint the furniture. Organizers say they hope the project demonstrates the value of simple public space enhancements.
Caldwell, ID
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Organizers with Destination Caldwell think of Indian Creek Plaza like the front porch on a farmhouse -- a place for sitting and chatting with neighbors. The nonprofit hoped to activate the space with interactive outdoor games. They engaged residents to decoupage vintage photographs onto cornhole boards and piece together glass-mosaic tabletop gameboards for chess, checkers and backgammon. This project is part of larger efforts to bring public art to the plaza. Today, the game tables are available throughout the year.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Pine Ridge, SD
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Addressing community health
Description: To increase tribal elders' access to locally-grown food, this project will host a weekly farmers market featuring traditional foods that students will grow, harvest and prepare.
Pine Ridge, SD
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Inclusive public space improvements
Description: The Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation created an accessible, multigenerational playground at its Regenerative Community Development. Ahead of construction the organization held engagement sessions to get input from community members. Organizers wanted to ensure the playground's design was rooted in the Lakota way of life and elements of the site symbolize different teachings and traditions. For example, the facility's shape emulates the He Sapa, of Black Hills -- the heart at the center of everything. Play structures at the site represent elements of the Lakota creation story. With its grand funding, the Corporation installed a sidewalk and benches, including a semicircular bench to serve as a storytelling area. The Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation works to improve the lives of residents of the Pine Ridge Reservation, with its Regenerative Community Development focusing on providing culturally appropriate physical spaces for liberation and healing.
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