AARP Hearing Center
AARP Livable Communities Map
Wilson Middle School (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Transportation
└ Engaging people in transportation options/safety
└ Engaging people in transportation options/safety
Students in Albuquerque's International District faced unsafe routes to school, with traffic hazards and crime, while older adults nearby experienced isolation. The Walking School Bus launched biweekly walks, providing 453 safe passages supported by 261 volunteers, including older adults. The project also transformed the Wilson Trailway with murals and hosted visioning sessions to guide improvements. These efforts strengthened community ties, promoted pedestrian safety and created an intergenerational model where older adults and children walk together, fostering connection and shared responsibility.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Photo Gallery
Image:
Click on a photo to learn more
See More Projects Like This One
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.
Salt Lake City, UT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety
Description: Unsafe streets and limited transportation options in Glendale put older adults and children at risk near schools and local housing. The council developed an active transportation plan and installed traffic-calming murals to slow cars and engage residents. The plan sets long-term goals for safer, walkable streets and improved transit access, while murals sparked interest in 16 more locations. "The street murals were a fun and engaging way to connect with residents."
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Salt Lake City, UT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety
Description: The Transit Together initiative invited residents at two low-income, older adult communities to use public transit to get to the grocery store. Over the course of three weeks, project organizers assisted groups of older adults -- including those with mobility issues -- as they navigated the Trax light rail system's routes and fare collection system. To help them run errands via transit, the County Aging and Adult Services office offered each participant a grocery caddy and a monthly senior transit pass. At the end of the program, 22 out of 32 participants reported they would use public transit in the future. In addition, several volunteer-resident pairs planned to continue making grocery trips together. Project organizers report that other service providers throughout Utah have since reached out to find out how they can implement similar educational programs in their communities.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Albuquerque, NM
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Innovative home maintenance repair and services
Description: Many older adults in Albuquerque were living with unsafe home conditions that made it difficult to remain independent. The Home Preservation program completed 32 projects after increased outreach. They provided repairs such as ramps, railings, deck fixes and safer entryways. Volunteers supported work across multiple homes, including one where new ramps and deck repairs allowed a resident to reach an art studio they thought they had lost access to. Demand for repairs continues to grow, prompting plans to hire another site manager and expand service capacity. The improvements help older adults stay safely in their homes and strengthen community connections through word-of-mouth referrals.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Albuquerque, NM
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: The weekly La Familia Growers Market in the Dolores Huerta Gateway Park provides South Valley residents with locally grown produce. To support the market's role as a culturally significant gathering space, project organizers purchased tables, chairs, a storage shed and cafe-style lights. They also procured materials to construct a horno -- a traditional outdoor oven made of adobe. Since then, the market has hosted free weekly musical performances and traditional cooking workshops, as well as the La Familia Growers Market Harvest Festival, attended by more than 500 people. In addition, project organizers conducted interviews with older community members - part of an oral history project.
LEARN MORE AND STAY INFORMED
Find articles and resources about making communities more livable for people of all ages
Download or order free publications from AARP Livable Communities
Sign up for the free, weekly, award-winning AARP Livable Communities eNewsletter
Don't see your community listed?
LEARN HOW IT CAN JOIN THE NETWORKConnect with your AARP State Office
AARP has offices in all 50 states as well as in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
AARP New Mexico State Office
535 Cerrillos Road
Suite A
Santa Fe, NM 87501
United States