Chilton, WI

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: The Chilton Public Library was looking to expand its reach beyond the walls of the library building. To give residents an intergenerational activity, library staff installed two bilingual story walks -- one at Chilton Elementary School and the other outside a local nature center. Additionally, the library created two portable story walks, which staff can set up at community events and playgrounds around Calumet County. The walks consist of several display stations installed along a trail or path. Library staff display storybook pages in each kiosk, allowing families to meander along the trail, piecing together the parts of the story as they go. A team of volunteers maintains the story walks, which display books in Spanish and English.

Ronceverte, WV

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: To give residents an outdoor space to gather, this project set out to create a pocket park in downtown Ronceverte. Organizers poured topsoil to level out the site and added benches and raised flower beds. A mural is also planned for the site.

Wilton, NH

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: In a rural town where many older residents lacked shaded, accessible spaces and opportunities for meaningful engagement, Wilton built a handicap-accessible gazebo along the riverwalk and launched a Senior Citizen Science Program. Volunteers age 55-plus assembled the structure and ramp, creating the first shaded amenity downtown. Thirty older adults joined the program to collect wildlife data for conservation efforts. The gazebo quickly became a social hub for gatherings and nature observation, while the science program reconnected residents with their community and informed updates to the town's Natural Resource Inventory.

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