Streets Alive of Southwest Florida (2017) Print

star-24px 2017 AARP Community Challenge Grantee

Project Category

Transportation
└ Bikeability
Streets Alive partnered with four other organizations to hold a bike rodeo event for children in Fort Myers' Dunbar neighborhood. A dozen volunteers completed a training course on how to teach safe cycling skills. Another volunteer worked with Franklin Park Elementary School to obtain a supply of loaner bikes for the young participants. At the event, children went through a series of stations to be fitted with helmets, have their bikes inspected for safety and receive coaching on how to start, balance and stop their bikes. They learned cycling rules of the road, including hand signals and where to ride on the street. They also received training on how to stay safe as pedestrians when crossing intersections and facing traffic. The organization staged another bike rodeo in 2020.

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Bike Newport (2026)

Middletown, RI

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026

Project Category: Bikeability

Description: A temporary, traffic-separated bike lane with a neighborhood link will be installed along a heavily traveled road to test safer riding conditions. The pilot will help riders bike to nearby destinations and guide future street design decisions.

Downtown Las Cruces Partnership (2020)

Las Cruces, NM

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Bikeability

Description: To make its downtown more bike-friendly, the Downtown Las Cruces installed 40 bike tacks. Based on feedback from the local cycling community, project organizers painted the racks racer green. Engagement with local business owners and volunteers determined the best locations to place the racks. In the future, Downtown Las Cruces expects placemaking efforts to continue with new shade sails. The City of Las Cruces also has plans for a new green path to facilitate biking and walking.

Revitalize San Pedro Partnership (2026)

Albuquerque, NM

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026

Project Category: Bikeability

Description: Secure bicycle racks will be installed along a busy main street. The racks enable older adults to bike safely, reduce transportation costs and reach nearby businesses while aging in place.

Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects

Keep Lee County Beautiful Inc. (2023)

Cape Coral, FL

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023

Project Category: Public space improvements to support recovery after extreme weather events

Description: Hurricane Ian stripped Cape Coral's parks of shade and greenery, leaving recreation areas exposed and vulnerable. Keep Lee County Beautiful responded by planting 80 native trees at the BMX Sports Complex. Volunteers learned proper planting techniques while restoring the canopy, which will cool the area, filter pollutants and reduce stormwater runoff for years to come. The effort sparked community spirit. "Youth had so much fun planting the trees that they stayed around and did a park cleanup afterwards," one organizer said, underscoring how recovery work united residents.

Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.

Peace River Community Housing Partners (2025)

Port Charlotte, FL

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Housing Design Competitions

Description: The Duplex Design Competition will invite designers to create low-maintenance, age-friendly homes where older adults can age in place. The project aims to balance privacy and community, promoting a healthier and more stable future for older adults.

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Launched in 2017, the annual AARP Community Challenge provides small grants to local governments and nonprofits in order to fund quick-action, ready-to-implement projects that can help communities become more livable for people of all ages.

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