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Brattleboro, VT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Engaging residents in vibrant public places
Description: After catastrophic flooding exposed gaps in river access and safety, Brattleboro residents-many age 50-plus-joined the Face the River initiative to shape a new riverside park and learn floodplain science. The project delivered bird walks, river ecology workshops and mindfulness sessions, along with tours of restoration sites that engaged over 100 participants. Their insights are guiding permanent projects with ADA trails and amenities, underscoring the need for trails near downtown. The effort sparked lasting momentum for inclusive recreation and resilience planning.
Athens, GA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Engaging residents in vibrant public places
Description: Athens has a rich African American history that spans many generations, yet has lacked an appropriate venue to share its stories. The Downtown Athens Development Authority created a permanent exhibit at the Ware-Lydon House Museum about people enslaved in the region, which also featured stories about their descendants. The exhibit was developed alongside the museum's new, 40-volume African American heritage library and community conversation area, which includes tables and chairs where visitors can gather. Additionally, the Authority developed the first section of an African American Heritage Pathway walking tour, which travels between the museum and the home of one of the first vaudeville theaters in the U.S. built, owned, and operated by a Black entrepreneur.
ME
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Engaging residents in vibrant public places
Description: Older adults in Central Maine face barriers to aging in place, from transportation to food insecurity, often hidden from public view. The project staged interactive performances based on real scenarios, inviting audiences to question actors and suggest solutions. Ideas like volunteer driver programs emerged, and feedback was shared with partners and media. "I learned how important community support is to the 50-plus community," one participant said, noting the emotional impact of seeing these struggles portrayed. Plans include training older adults to lead future performances, extending the dialogue.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Honolulu, HI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Micromobility enhancements/management
Description: When Bikeshare Hawaii launched its Biki bikeshare program, it found that older adults were not using the resource at the same rate as younger people. In response, it invited Hawaiians age 50 and older to sign up for Biki Social Rides. The rides, held in partnership with Blue Zones Hawaii and the Hawaii Bicycling League, included a tutorial on how to use the Biki app to find stations. Instructors also showed riders how to dock and undock the service's turquoise bicycles. Additionally, Bikeshare Hawaii provided each participant with a helmet and a trial Biki membership.
Honolulu, HI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Engaging residents in vibrant public places
Description: The Age-Friendly Honolulu initiative launched Kind2Kupuna, a public awareness campaign to help shops, restaurants, health care providers and other public-facing businesses better serve older adults. While preparing the campaign, Age-Friendly Honolulu found the most common complaints kupuna had about shopping were difficulties reaching items on shelves, poor customer service and employees failing to smile or not making eye contact. To address these issues, they created a poster featuring ten culturally appropriate tips, including start with aloha, be mindful of memory loss, step into their shoes and make it readable. "A workforce that is more aware and equipped to accommodate physical and cognitive changes with age will be better able to support older adults in many ways, both big and small," Hawaii Pacific University Vice President Sam Moku said.
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