Aztec, NM

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: Aztec lacked inclusive spaces for older adults to gather and reconnect after years of isolation. The Leanor was renovated with ADA features, indoor seating and outdoor upgrades including a pergola, firepit and six garden spaces for flowers and vegetables. Pop-up craft fairs and coffee gatherings brought residents together during renovations. The space now hosts storytelling, artisan markets and intergenerational programs, with older adults leading gardening and art activities. One organizer noted teens move furniture were eager to help and loved visiting with them, generating community engagement.

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

Wheeling, WV

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: Warwood lacked a safe, accessible space for growing food and connecting neighbors, leaving older adults with few options for activity and healthy eating. Volunteers transformed a vacant lot into the Loveland Community Garden with 20 raised beds, a storage shed, fencing and benches designed for accessibility. Level paths and recycled-plastic benches made gardening possible for those with mobility challenges. The garden now fosters intergenerational ties, with older adults sharing tips and students forming clubs. Plans for workshops and selling excess crops at local markets promise lasting community engagement.

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

Long Beach, CA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: In Long Beach, older adults lacked spaces for cultural connection in a neighborhood marked by poverty and pollution. Placemaking US built a traditional communal comal using techniques developed long ago, and hosted tortilla-making workshops where elders taught masa preparation. More than 100 participants, including local chefs and volunteers, joined intergenerational sessions that celebrated heritage and sustainability. The project created lasting programming at Rancho Los Cerritos, turning it into a hub for cultural exchange and reducing isolation. One participant shared, "I didn't realize how much I missed this until I felt the heat from the comal and smelled the fresh masa."

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