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Special Needs Support Center of the Upper Valley (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Community Health and Economic Empowerment
└ Activities that address social isolation and facilitate community connections
└ Activities that address social isolation and facilitate community connections
Many older adults and people with disabilities in the Upper Valley felt excluded, with surveys showing low levels of belonging. To address this, SNSC partnered with 21 organizations to earn Disability-Friendly Certification and distributed 200 sensory toolboxes stocked with items like noise-canceling headphones and communication cards. Staff received tailored training to improve accessibility and inclusion. These efforts expanded welcoming spaces, raised awareness and strengthened community ties, aiming to reduce isolation and improve belonging for older adults and others with disabilities.
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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Wilmington, DE
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Activities that address social isolation and facilitate community connections
Description: In March 2020, the Delaware Children's Museum closed its doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ahead of Grandparents Day in September, museum staff developed a specialized online curriculum for grandparents (and the grand at heart -- those who aren't officially grandparents but serve the in the role). Project organizers distributed 300 You're Grand activity bags at the museum's drive-through and at a local community center. Each bag included instructions for remote activities for connecting with grandchildren online or over the phone.
Albuquerque, NM
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Activities that address social isolation and facilitate community connections
Description: The National Hispanic Cultural Center Foundation set out to expand its popular book club for older adults. The club features Hispanic and Latinx authors, often inviting the writers to participate in club meetings. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foundation shifted the book club to a virtual format, which helped expand attendance to members living outside of New Mexico. During club sessions, participants held lively conversations and developed book reviews and discussion questions. Featured books include Argentinian writer Selva Almada's novel, The Wind that Lays Waste and Maria Hinojosa's Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America. Project organizers say the club's success has inspired them to expand programming related to literature and history. Feedback gathered from book club participants will help inform these plans.
Brooklyn, NY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Activities that address social isolation and facilitate community connections
Description: Organizers with Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet hoped to document the experiences of local African-American older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. To do this, the Brooklyn-based danse and cultural institution launched its Wellness Works initiative. The outlet trained volunteers to conduct interviews using the StoryCorps model. Volunteers then interviewed more than 25 people from each of New York's five boroughs -- including their own grandparents. Information from the interviews helped shape local health policy, highlighting disparities in health care during the pandemic. Since the project concluded, organizers have continued to offer webinars and look for ways to preserve oral history.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Lebanon, NH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Micromobility enhancements/management
Description: Older adults with mobility challenges struggled to access Lebanon's rail trail. The group launched a Cycling Without Age program, purchasing an electric trishaw and training 27 volunteer pilots to give free rides. Residents now enjoy the outdoors, attend community events and build friendships with volunteers. The program reduces isolation and expands trail access, creating a model for inclusive recreation.
Lebanon, NH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Lifelong housing and accessibility
Description: To assess the housing stock in 67 municipalities in New Hampshire and Vermont, the Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission launched its Keys to the Valley Website. Grant funds supported website management and efforts to promote its use. The website includes an open data portal, where site visitors can engage with regional housing data, read personal stories, view maps and use interactive tools for analysis. Aerial and ground photography highlight the different types of housing across the region. Project organizers hope the website will highlight each community's unique housing needs, as well as features such as proximity to grocery stores and hospitals. To promote the site, commission staff created a video, launched a newsletter, attended public engagement events and talked with residents about the Keys to the Valley initiative.
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