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Roslyn, SD
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Roslyn's declining Main Street left few accessible spaces for gatherings, isolating older adults and limiting community life. CARE advanced its Veterans Memorial Park project by removing an old gazebo, installing ADA-compliant sidewalks and pathways and planting statement trees. Volunteers, including those over 50, helped relocate memorial bricks for reuse in the new design. Phase Two created an inclusive space and set the stage for monuments and a new gazebo, ensuring the park becomes a focal point for events and revitalization that connects residents of all ages.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Shafer, MN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Artistic benches will be placed along trails and key areas throughout the sculpture park. The new seating will allow visitors, especially adults age 50-plus, to rest while viewing outdoor art and walking the grounds.
Yankton, SD
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: To invite young children and their caregivers to explore Westside Park, the City of Yankton Department of Parks and Recreation created its Born Learning Trail. The City installed a concrete trail in the park and installed signs in English and Spanish along the path. Each sign features activities meant to build language and thinking skills fundamental to child development. To give families a place to rest, project organizers installed picnic tables and benches. The City also commissioned seven local artists to decorate the trail's pavement with artwork related to the activities.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Shelburne, VT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: Falls Road's busy traffic made the village center unsafe for walking and biking, especially for older adults in nearby housing. A summer demonstration tested slower street designs with new crosswalks, a buffered walking lane, narrowed lanes and signage. More than 640 residents weighed in through surveys, and speeds dropped sharply: only 6% of cars exceeded 25 mph compared to over 50% before. The board approved keeping key features and funding further improvements. "It's so much nicer and quieter," said one property owner, as plans advance for permanent upgrades and expanded walkability.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Burlington, VT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Pandemic restrictions exposed the lack of safe outdoor spaces for older adults in Burlington, leaving them with temporary plastic chairs and no accessible options. The center converted parking spaces and lawn into a permanent patio featuring wheelchair-friendly raised beds, cedar benches, heavy-duty tables and chairs, privacy screens and decorative planters. Volunteers built and installed everything, creating a vibrant setting for meals, games and performances. The space now supports gardening and social connection while offering a long-term solution for distancing during health crises. "It's just so beautiful. I really love sitting outside and listening to the birds," said one participant.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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