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Philadelphia, PA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Expanding HighSpeed Internet
Description: Older adults at Somerset Villas faced high internet costs and unreliable connections, limiting their ability to reach health information, communicate with family and handle essential online tasks. PCW installed long term free Wi-Fi across all floors, in apartments, common areas and outside seating areas. It also added 14 indoor access points, an outdoor unit and a rooftop antenna. The project initiated digital literacy events, cybersecurity sessions and one on one support visits that helped residents connect devices and build confidence. Some saved money by canceling paid service. One resident celebrated being able to stream familiar TV channels after PCW improved coverage near his unit.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Birmingham, AL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Expanding HighSpeed Internet
Description: Many older adults lacked the digital access and skills needed to receive alerts, reach family and neighbors and find reliable information during storms and other emergencies. That gap increased risk and left some residents less connected to local readiness efforts. Beanstalk addressed the problem by providing tablets and leading hands-on trainings tied to real emergency tasks. Participants learned to set up contacts, enable security features and use preparedness apps for weather alerts and local hazard updates. They practiced sending messages and checking alerts so those steps felt routine. The effort built confidence and created peer support: several attendees began helping others during sessions. One participant said, "I finally feel like Im catching up with the world again... Now I dont feel as isolated. I feel safer." The project expanded a base of tech-ready volunteers who can help neighbors stay informed and communicate when conditions change.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Whitesburg, KY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Expanding HighSpeed Internet
Description: Shaping Our Appalachian Region confronted limited broadband and skills that kept older adults from telehealth, secure online accounts and family connections. The team launched a mobile laptop lab with hands-on classes in AI, digital safety and basic computer skills, paired with in-home satellite internet for 23 older adults. A Digital Navigator provided one-on-one help, and participants completed digital literacy coursework with certifications. One resident said reliable access felt like having a doctor "in your living room," underscoring reduced barriers to care. The project created repeatable curricula and a scalable model for ongoing digital inclusion.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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Los Angeles, CA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Transportation Systems Change
Description: Older Asian American Pacific Islanders in Los Angeles faced language and cultural barriers that made public transportation hard to navigate, leaving many isolated. To address this, the group provided in-language travel training, hosted monthly pop-up events at transit hubs and farmers markets and created culturally relevant route maps. Outreach connected with about 4,000 older adults, and volunteers offered one-on-one guidance. The effort secured a five-year city contract to expand language services and influenced policy changes, helping the participants feel connected and empowered with safer, more accessible transit options.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Los Angeles, CA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: The Thai Community Development Center sought to beautify Thailand Plaza, a commercial center along Hollywood Boulevard in Thai Town. The more than 1,000 square feet of metal garage doors making up the plaza's faade were a target for graffiti. To solve this, the Center commissioned two artists to replace the tags with vibrant murals illustrating Thai culture. They also repainted the gates of the nearby Brahmin Shrine in deep black and gold. By doing this, project organizers hope to deter future vandalism in the area, inspire a sense of community and draw new visitors to Thai Town. Locals hailed the project during a celebration marking the district's 20th anniversary.
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