Lakewood, CO

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Public art installations

Description: Older adults who walk the Alameda Corridor to reach shops and health care often lacked safe places to pause, making trips exhausting and limiting independence. Alameda Connects installed a concrete pad with a bench and trash bin at a key resting point. It also added colorful ground murals at three sites, including a transit stop and Easterseals Colorado, to make the spaces feel safer and more welcoming. The project united older adults and students in painting days that sparked friendships and inspired neighborhood cleanups and business interest in murals. One teen said, "Thank you for letting me volunteer. This project gave me purpose."

Montrose, CO

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Public or private transit access

Description: Older adults in rural Colorado often miss medical care or social activities because of limited transportation and harsh weather at exposed bus stops. To address this, All Points Transit began adding benches and shelters along expanded routes, giving riders safe seating and protection from snow, rain and extreme temperatures. Volunteers assisted with planning while contractors prepared concrete pads for installation. These upgrades will make public transit more accessible and comfortable, helping older adults maintain independence and reduce isolation.