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Summers County Huddle (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Park enhancements
└ Park enhancements
Hinton's west side -- home to many older adults and lower-income families -- was without a public greenspace or playground. Summers County Huddle decided to change that, creating the All Aboard Community Park on a parcel of land donated to the City of Hinton. Volunteers installed a gazebo, raised planter beds and playground equipment onsite. To serve people of all ages, the playground structures can double as exercise equipment for adults. Partnering with the City and local organizations, Summers County Huddle pulled together a team of intergenerational volunteers to build and maintain the park. Since the project's completion, many volunteers have continued to brainstorm ways to improve the neighborhood, including repairing sidewalks, installing lights and addressing vacancy.
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Project Category: Park enhancements
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Bartlett, KS
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Park enhancements
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Pine Ridge, SD
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Park enhancements
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.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Hinton, WV
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Public space activation
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AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
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