AARP Arizona 2018 Community Challenge Winners Announced

Communities across Arizona are working each and every day to become more livable for residents of all ages.

In support of that work, AARP is excited to be able to provide funding to organizations through the AARP Community Challenge to help them jumpstart progress on ongoing work. These “quick action” grants are being distributed to 129 organizations, with at least one in every state, Washington D.C, and Puerto Rico, including right here in Arizona.  The Community Challenge grants provide communities with the chance to fund innovative projects that can inspire change in areas such as transportation, open spaces, housing, and other innovative projects to improve the community and make Arizona’s counties, cities, towns and rural areas better places to live for all Arizonans.

The Community Challenge is part of AARP’s work on livable communities, which supports the efforts of neighborhoods, towns, cities and counties across the country to become great places for all residents. We believe that communities should provide safe, walkable streets; affordable and accessible housing and transportation options; access to needed services; and opportunities for residents to participate in community life.

After a successful 2017, with 90 grantees, this initiative is now in its 2 ^nd year, and it has increased its investment to over $1.3 million in the form of 129 grants.

Here in Arizona, we are excited about the work that the Community Challenge Grants are supporting in 2018. The Arizona grant winners are:

• Tempe: City of TempeAs part of the city’s Dementia Friendly initiative, this grant will be used to install 57 wayfinding signs in community centers, develop a rating tool for the community’s Memory Cafes and develop a video for training volunteers to assist in Dementia Friendly programs.
• Tucson: Living Streets AllianceGrant funds will be used to improve pedestrian safety and accessibility, and foster a stronger sense of place by transforming an intersection with colorful crosswalks, temporary curb bulb-outs, seating and planter boxes.

To learn more about the work being funded by the AARP Community Challenge grant program both here in Arizona as well as across the nation, visit us at aarp.org/CommunityChallenge. And to learn more about how AARP is working to make communities across Arizona and across the U.S. more livable for all residents, visit aarp.org/livable.