Boligee, AL

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Trails

Description: The rural town of Boligee lacked parks, walking trails and sidewalks. Recently, the Town purchased the former junior high school property and repurposed it into a recreation complex, which hosts classes and community events. To give residents an outdoor gathering space, this project created a new trail and garden onsite. Volunteers cleared a path for the trail and installed brick pavers. They also added raised flowerbeds and benches to give visitors a place to rest and socialize. Additionally, organizers installed a roof over an unused concrete slab, transforming it into a pavilion. The Town now invites older adults to tend to the flowerbeds. Organizers say they hope the trail and garden foster improved community health.

Miami, FL

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Trails

Description: Friends of the Commodore Trail addressed safety barriers that made reaching and using the trail feel intimidating, especially for older adults navigating fast traffic, curb obstacles and unclear routes. These conditions reduced confidence and limited use of a corridor that connects neighborhoods, parks and daily destinations. The project introduced visible safety improvements, including wayfinding signs, temporary curb ramps, crossing safety flags, traffic-calming pop-ups and targeted clean-ups that reduced immediate trip hazards. Many older adults were involved as participants and volunteers. One resident, speaking about the improved crossings and signage, said, "Now I don't hesitate. I walk more, I feel safer, and I see people I know almost every time I'm out." Several pilots are already informing permanent crosswalk and curb designs, strengthening long-term access and safer shared use of the Trail.

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

Evansville, IN

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023

Project Category: Trails

Description: Many trails in this urban old-growth forest were inaccessible for visitors with limited mobility, leaving older adults unable to enjoy nature. The project converted 435 feet of degraded trail into a raised boardwalk with safety rails, added an ADA-compliant bench and installed signage. Volunteers age 50-plus helped prepare and build the trail, which now connects the Nature Center to animal exhibits and a towering tulip tree. The upgrade has prompted visits from assisted living groups and mobility device users, inspiring plans for more accessible trails. "We want more!" said one group after experiencing the new Mini-Loop Trail.

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