Rock Hill, SC

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: This project will create a pollinator garden at the Northside Recreation Center, which will provide residents with an opportunity to learn about the benefits of pollinator gardens and how to care for them.

Woodbury, NJ

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: The grant will support LOT 323, a creative placemaking pop-up park that features music and arts and crafts events for residents aged 50 by partnering with senior housing and senior centers, as well as assisted living facilities.

Springfield, OH

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: As part of wider corridor improvement efforts, the 1159 Southwest Community Development Corporation activated three vacant lots, transforming them into a public gathering space dubbed Grand Harmony. Volunteers installed porch swings, picnic tables, benches and a new grill at the site. They also added LED lighting and a storage shed. Project organizers say Grand Harmony's success has opened doors for other revitalization efforts. In December 2020, a local foundation provided 1159 South Community Development Corporation with funding to activate a nearby vacant lot into an inspiration garden.