Keene, NH

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Access to health care services

Description: Older adults managing chronic conditions often lacked tools to monitor their health, leading to ER visits and higher risk of illness. The project distributed blood pressure monitors, pulse oximeters, scales and thermometers, paired with education to help participants understand and act on health metrics. These resources improved chronic care management and reduced emergency visits while building trust and health literacy. One patient shared that the devices helped him "track progress and manage conditions more effectively," giving him greater stability and confidence at home.

Brattleboro, VT

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: Residents considered the Brattleboro Transportation Center's parking garage to be ugly and uninviting. To change this, the Downtown Brattleboro Alliance worked with local artists to create signage for each level of the garage. The new signs feature a different animal for each level, with each creature -- the osprey, river otter, American shad and sea lamprey -- significant to the Abenaki indigenous community and the Connecticut River ecosystem. Additionally, the Alliance held a pop-up event in the garage's elevator to display the prototype for a new Ask the River kinetic sculpture. Visitors to the garage could view the sculpture and give their feedback. Today, the full-size version of the artwork decorates the facade of the Transportation Center building.