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Wichita Public Library (2017) Print
2017 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Engaging residents in vibrant public places
└ Engaging residents in vibrant public places
The Wichita Public Library and Bike Walk Wichita launched three historical walking tours, which can be accessed through a smartphone app. It's all about inspiring curiosity in people about their hometown. According to Jeff Flor of the Downtown Development Corporation, Wichita has a lot of stories to tell, from the drugstore sit-in during the Civil Rights movement to the now-gone Victory Arch honoring World War I soldiers. To promote the app, library staff and volunteers participated in an open streets festival while wearing t-shirts with the message Ask me how to travel time.
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Honolulu, HI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Engaging residents in vibrant public places
Description: The Age-Friendly Honolulu initiative launched Kind2Kupuna, a public awareness campaign to help shops, restaurants, health care providers and other public-facing businesses better serve older adults. While preparing the campaign, Age-Friendly Honolulu found the most common complaints kupuna had about shopping were difficulties reaching items on shelves, poor customer service and employees failing to smile or not making eye contact. To address these issues, they created a poster featuring ten culturally appropriate tips, including start with aloha, be mindful of memory loss, step into their shoes and make it readable. "A workforce that is more aware and equipped to accommodate physical and cognitive changes with age will be better able to support older adults in many ways, both big and small," Hawaii Pacific University Vice President Sam Moku said.
Lexington, KY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Engaging residents in vibrant public places
Description: Kentucky has one of the highest rates of grandparents raising grandchildren, yet resources for older caregivers are scarce. To address this, PCAK partnered with 10 Cooperative Extension Offices to host Grandparents Day events featuring activities like planting trees and building mini library boxes. Each event provided educational materials, including a new guide called "Parenting and Caregiving Over 50". The gatherings strengthened intergenerational bonds and created lasting improvements such as library boxes and landscaping. "Overhearing the conversations between the grandparents and the grandchildren was so positive... connections can be made in the simplest things," one organizer said.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
North Conway, NH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Engaging residents in vibrant public places
Description: Older adults in the rural North Conway community often faced isolation and limited access to programs that support healthy eating and social connection, especially for those living alone or on fixed incomes. Pope Memorial Library addressed this gap by building a fully functioning kitchen within its meeting space, allowing food-centered programs to take place on site rather than relying on meals prepared elsewhere. The kitchen supported nutrition education, shared meals and hands-on cooking classes that lowered barriers to participation. By cooking and eating together, older adults built routines around gathering and learning, not just attending events. Anchoring these programs in a permanent, accessible space strengthened the library's role as a reliable place for belonging and positioned it to sustain wellness programming that keeps older adults engaged over time.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Wichita, KS
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Access to high-speed internet
Description: Like many Americans living below the federal poverty level, many residents of Wichita had no easy way to access the internet. To solve this the City of Wichita launched the Wichita Hot Spot initiative. Older adults living in low-income areas can now check out a mobile connectivity device from a Neighborhood Resource Center and use it at home for up to two weeks. The hot spots -- small devices that provide a wireless internet connection -- are meant to be easy for older adults to activate, helping reduce social isolation and narrow the digital divide. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the hot spots continued to be popular, and the program's success led the City to request a Community Development Block Grant to purchase more devices.
Wichita, KS
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: In an urban neighborhood with limited access to fresh food, uneven paths and traditional garden beds made it difficult for residents with mobility challenges to take part in community gardening. Older adults and others with injuries or physical limitations were especially affected. Riverside Garden improved access by adding stable walkways, accessible pads and raised garden beds designed for people who need to sit or use wheelchairs, along with ergonomic tools that reduce strain. These changes allowed more residents to garden safely and participate in events at the site. One gardener shared that after ankle, foot and knee injuries made bending painful, the new raised beds allowed her to continue gardening and stay connected to the community. The improvements expanded who could use the space and strengthened the garden's role as a shared, inclusive gathering place.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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