Orofino, ID

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: Residents in Orofino lacked places to rest along a hilly one-mile loop connecting a long-term care facility, hospital and parks. This made walks difficult for older adults and those without cars. The city installed eight ADA-compliant benches at key spots near the river, high school and skate park. Volunteers age 50-plus helped with site prep and placement decisions. The benches quickly became gathering points for relaxation and conversation.

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

Browning, MT

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: This project enhanced the Eagle Shield Senior Center's outdoor space, adding canopy swings, as well as fencing and landscaping. Project organizers hope the outdoor area becomes an age-friendly gathering space, giving Blackfeet elders a place to share their culture and language with each other -- and with future generations.

Harrisburg, PA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: Vacant lots in Harrisburg's Allison Hill neighborhood -- which make up about a third of the neighborhood's land area -- were overgrown with weeds and debris, attracted crime and often served as illegal dumping sites. To address this, the Tri County Community Organization set out to clean up eight lots. Volunteers cleared the sites of debris, installed fencing and planted low-maintenance grass that only grows to six inches in height. "This project opens up the space so that there's no place to hide for crime, so this project really helps to bring beauty to the neighborhood," Neighborhood Outreach Coordinator Donnell Brown said. Now that the lots are cleaned up, project organizers hope the spaces will help raise property values, as well as provide residents with a gathering space.