Houston, TX

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017

Project Category: Public art installations

Description: To increase walkability and create a safe, beautiful gathering space, Avenue CDC engaged a local artist, local schoolchildren and residents to create a 600-foot mural. The wall selected for the artwork was off-putting and had been vandalized many times. But the site also acted as the entry point to the Northline neighborhood, since the wall faces the nearby light rail station. The mural's design pays homage to local Latino culture and the history of the neighborhood. As the mural reached its completion, Hurricane Harvey hit Houston and project organizers were able to repurpose leftover grant funds to help with recovery and rebuilding.

Montpelier, VT

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026

Project Category: Public art installations

Description: An artistic, ADA-accessible play structure with seating will be added to the library lawn. This new outdoor feature will provide a welcoming space for reading, play and informal gatherings across generations.

Lakewood, CO

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Public art installations

Description: Older adults who walk the Alameda Corridor to reach shops and health care often lacked safe places to pause, making trips exhausting and limiting independence. Alameda Connects installed a concrete pad with a bench and trash bin at a key resting point. It also added colorful ground murals at three sites, including a transit stop and Easterseals Colorado, to make the spaces feel safer and more welcoming. The project united older adults and students in painting days that sparked friendships and inspired neighborhood cleanups and business interest in murals. One teen said, "Thank you for letting me volunteer. This project gave me purpose."

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