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Waynesboro-Wayne County Library (2022) Print
2022 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Digital Connections
└ Digital navigation skills
└ Digital navigation skills
Older adults in rural Wayne County faced isolation and limited digital skills, making it hard to access online services or stay connected with family. The library offered free weekly computer classes and provided simplified tablets for home use, teaching email, internet basics and video calling. Participants practiced during sessions and at home to reinforce skills. They expressed excitement about learning and confidence in using devices for everyday tasks, showing how the program reduced isolation and improved digital access in a community with few resources.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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Evanston, IL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Digital navigation skills
Description: For many older adults, limited access to technology can cut off communication with family, online services and civic life. Without training or a reliable device, everyday tasks like video calls or accessing information can feel out of reach. Levy Senior Center responded by offering a series of hands-on workshops focused on practical skills, from email and video calls to online safety and using tablets for daily life. The sessions created a supportive space where participants could learn at their own pace and ask questions without pressure. Older adults who attended multiple sessions received a tablet, allowing them to keep practicing at home. One participant said the device felt like a long-awaited gift and finally made it possible to connect with a grandchild. The program also brought new faces into the center, sparking social connections and demand for continued tech learning.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Lincoln, NE
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Digital navigation skills
Description: Many older adults lacked the digital skills needed to use online tools that now shape daily life, from email and maps to accessing health care and financial information. Lincoln City Libraries addressed that gap by offering hands-on technology classes and individual help that focused on practical tasks participants asked about. Sessions covered computer basics, mobile device use and online safety in an interactive setting where learners worked side by side. One attendee described the classes as "very interactive" and said instructors showed them how to complete tasks in real time. By building confidence and embedding ongoing support into library services, the project helped older adults feel more capable navigating an increasingly digital world.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Gaithersburg, MD
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Digital navigation skills
Description: Older adults in Montgomery County faced tech barriers that deepened isolation and limited access to health portals and communication tools. CyberMasters paired them with teens for one-on-one tutoring in multiple languages, teaching smart phone use, photo sharing and online health access. Sessions for residents age 50-plus and for youth built confidence and social connection. One man, once unable to answer "Do you know how to use a computer?" on job applications, now proudly checks "Yes." Another participant called the program "a lifesaver," underscoring its role in restoring independence and reducing loneliness.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Laurel, MS
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Public spaces improvements to increase high-speed internet availability
Description: In rural Jones County, many older adults faced isolation and limited access to books, technology and health resources due to poverty and transportation barriers. The library transformed a rundown trolley into LOTTIE, a mobile hub equipped with Wi-Fi, laptops, books and programming supplies. It now delivers technology classes, health clinics and library services directly to neighborhoods and care centers. This has helped bridge the digital divide and served to foster increased social connection. One patron in her late 70s said receiving books and audiobooks at home after months of isolation "made me cry," showing how the project restored joy and independence for older residents.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Hattiesburg, MS
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Duncan Lake Park in Hattiesburg's East Jerusalem neighborhood is popular with residents, yet many of the park's amenities were in disrepair. To give the park new life, Hattiesburg Landmark Preservation refurbished picnic tables with new tops featuring painted checkerboards. They also installed new benches, added a wheelchair-accessible sidewalk and created two murals depicting native plants and animals. Today, the park hosts free arts programming for residents of all ages.
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