Muskogee, OK

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Walk Audits

Description: Cracked, overgrown sidewalks in one Muskogee neighborhood forced residents with mobility challenges into the street, turning routine trips into safety risks and limiting independence for older adults. Sheena's Helping Hands organized community walk audits to document hazards along local walking routes, with older adult volunteers, residents and business owners helping capture on-the-ground conditions. The findings highlighted broken pavement, blocked paths and unsafe crossings that made wheelchair and cane use difficult. One participant recalled how a wheelchair user had to push herself to the store using her foot and repeatedly enter traffic because sidewalks were impassable, adding, "We feared for her safety." The audit results were shared with city leaders and public works staff, providing concrete evidence to support complaints and future repairs and strengthening local advocacy for safer pedestrian access.

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

Montgomery, AL

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026

Project Category: Walk Audits

Description: Two park walk audits will examine safety and accessibility for residents age 50 and older. Findings will guide age‑friendly improvements that support walking and social activity.

Dover-Foxcroft, ME

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Walk Audits

Description: Central Hall Commons set out to address unsafe walking conditions downtown, where broken sidewalks, missing handrails and unreliable crossing signals pushed pedestrians into traffic. This made routine trips risky for older adults and people with limited mobility. Walk audits of Monument Square and Union Square documented steep sidewalk slopes, gaps at private properties, a crosswalk near an accident-prone intersection and signals that failed or were missing. One walker said confusion at crossings led them to "jump out ahead of vehicles," showing how failures shaped dangerous behavior. The project produced a formal audit with fixes, from repairing signals and closing sidewalk gaps to adding benches and traffic-calming treatments. The work elevated pedestrian safety in public decision-making. It is intended to influence near-term fixes and the scope of future improvements that better support older adults and other residents.

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