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Dunellen, NJ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Trails
Description: To make the half-mile trail in Columbia Park more accessible, the Borough of Dunellen installed 12 ADA-compliant benches. Volunteers added mulch around each bench and planted trees, shrubs and pollinator-friendly vegetation, with plaques identifying each plant. They also painted a footbridge connecting the part to a residential neighborhood. The project engaged Dunellen's mayor and Borough Council, along with the Dunellen Shade Tree Commission, the parks and recreation and public works departments, the Dunellen Arts and Culture Commission, the Dunellen Senior Club, the local football team and the Dunellen Municipal Alliance. Since installation, the Borough has seen a 44 percent uptick in trails users, as well as a 50 percent increase in older adults visiting the trail.
Pine Ridge, SD
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Addressing community health
Description: To increase tribal elders' access to locally-grown food, this project will host a weekly farmers market featuring traditional foods that students will grow, harvest and prepare.
Fairview, OK
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Access to health care services
Description: To help people living in rural areas access health care at home, this project piloted a remote cardiac rehabilitation program. Medical Center staff selected participants who were recovering from cardiac events but had a low to moderate risk of developing complications. They provided patients with equipment to monitor their health, including scales, internet-enabled blood pressure cuffs, wearable health monitoring devices and a one-year subscription to monitoring software. Since 2020, the Fairview Regional Medical Center Authority as worked to expand the program to people with chronic health conditions. Additionally, organizers say they are looking into ways to replicate the telemedicine project in other communities.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Springfield, MA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Public or private transit access
Description: A lack of benches represented a barrier to older adults using Springfield's public transit system. To make waiting for the bus a more comfortable experience, the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority worked with the local parks and public works departments to install ten benches throughout the city. The Authority engaged residents to inform each bench's aesthetics and placement. They tailored the amenities based on each location's historical and design context. In Court Square -- a neighborhood dating to 1636 -- they installed Victorian-style benches. Elsewhere, they chose a more modern look. Organizers hope the new seating encourages people of all ages and abilities to use public transportation.
Springfield, MA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety
Description: The grant will fund a walk audit training program to teach residents how to recognize hazardous conditions in their communities and advocate for changes to make streets safer.
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