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Albuquerque, NM
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety
Description: To help Albuquerque residents stay physically active and access nutritious food, the Mid-Region Council of Governments repurposed an underused parking lot into a pop-up community wellness and walking hup. Volunteers repurposed wooden pallets to construct benches, tables and planters. They also planted fruit trees and added bird feeders to the site. To give residents a space to meditate, organizers also created a wellness labyrinth onsite. Using paint, they delineated a walking path across the parking lot and created an artistic crosswalk nearby. Additionally, the Council created and displayed interactive walking maps -- available in both English and Spanish -- along with pavement decals displaying QR codes. The QR codes allow smartphone users to access information online about walking and nutrition programs. Organizers say the project is a first step in larger efforts to address health disparities experienced by the community's Latino, Hispanic and Native populations.
Bridgeport, CT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety
Description: To create community cohesion and connection, Groundwork Bridgeport's walking club hosted three intergenerational walking events in Bridgeport's downtown and along its waterfront. Using the AARP Walk Audit Tool Kit as a guide, participants helped identify important community destinations, as well as ways to improve the pedestrian experience. They also collected litter as they walked. Before each walk, volunteers placed temporary wayfinding stickers on the sidewalks to help the group navigate. Project organizers say the initiative's popularity demonstrated an appetite for walking activities and pedestrian paths in Bridgeport. Today, the organization continues to host its walking club, which meets every Saturday.
Providence, RI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety
Description: To introduce older adult residents to ridehailing options, the Rhode Island College Foundation launched a workshop titled It's Uber Easy to Get a Lyft. More than 70 older adults from seven towns attended the workshops, which taught them how to download a smartphone app to hail rides. A majority of participants reported they gained confidence using the services following the training. Organizers hope this helps older adults retain mobility, even when they no longer feel comfortable driving themselves.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Albuquerque, NM
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: The Barelas Community Coalition hoped to create a welcoming, multigenerational gathering space to allow community members to eat, play, and learn together. The organization constructed a shade structure, added a bench, installed solar lighting and displayed signage at a public courtyard. The outdoor area is part of the Las Esquinita complex, an indoor commercial space that includes a small food hall and artisan market. It is also located next to a new food truck park, which the Coalition helps manage. Today, the space serves as a public art venue where resident can communicate their ideas, wants and feelings alongside an existing mural. Project organizers say the project helped secure long-term support for their activation efforts and allowed the community to rally around local revitalization activities.
Albuquerque, NM
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety
Description: To help Albuquerque residents stay physically active and access nutritious food, the Mid-Region Council of Governments repurposed an underused parking lot into a pop-up community wellness and walking hup. Volunteers repurposed wooden pallets to construct benches, tables and planters. They also planted fruit trees and added bird feeders to the site. To give residents a space to meditate, organizers also created a wellness labyrinth onsite. Using paint, they delineated a walking path across the parking lot and created an artistic crosswalk nearby. Additionally, the Council created and displayed interactive walking maps -- available in both English and Spanish -- along with pavement decals displaying QR codes. The QR codes allow smartphone users to access information online about walking and nutrition programs. Organizers say the project is a first step in larger efforts to address health disparities experienced by the community's Latino, Hispanic and Native populations.
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