Fort Wayne, IN

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023

Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement

Description: This project will install curb cuts and signage to improve the community's access to a prairie, a pond and paths on the campus of Stillwater Hospice, a place of comfort and healing.

Long Beach, CA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018

Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement

Description: During Walk Long Beach's inaugural Ranchos Walk -- a 9.4-mile hike -- more than 400 walkers laced up their shoes and strode along the city's high ridge. Event organizers set up temporary wayfinding signs and made improvements to a crosswalk to make it more visible. Meant to raise awareness about the benefits of walking for fitness and recreation, the event introduced participants to streets and neighborhoods that many had never seen before. Stretching from Rancho Los Alamitos in the southeast to Rancho Los Cerritos in the north, the walk's route showcased Long Beach's agricultural history: The area's two original ranchos date to the 1800s. Organizers initially anticipated half as many walkers to participate, but residents of all ages flocked to the challenge. In 2021, Walk Long Beach repeated the event with the theme of women in Long Beach history.

Helena, MT

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018

Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement

Description: This pop-up demonstration set out to gather input from residents about ways to increase mobility in Helena. Organizers planned to create a demonstration kit, comprised of a trailer equipped with supplies to stage pop-up projects. They then set out to create temporary protected bike lanes and make improvements to crosswalks along the Centennial Trial -- all with the goal of making the community more walkable and bikeable.