AARP Awards Community Grants to 3 Arkansas Organizations as Part of its Nationwide Program

Communities across Arkansas are all working to become more livable for residents of all ages.

And, AARP is working across Arkansas in partnership with local leaders, organization and dedicated residents to help make that vision a reality. As part of that effort, AARP is excited to announce the largest number of projects to-date through the Community Challenge program. These quick-action grants are being distributed to 244 organizations across all 50 states, Washington D.C, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Community Challenge funds innovative projects that inspire change in areas such as transportation, public spaces, housing, diversity and inclusion, civic engagement, coronavirus response and more.

AARP Arkansas is incredibly proud to have 3 grantees right here in our state. Our goal is to support their efforts to create great places for people of all backgrounds, ages and abilities and as local leaders seek to better their communities for the future, this is even more critical.

Here in Arkansas, these exciting and diverse projects were funded:

• City of Pine Bluff: This project will enhance physical activity and social engagement, particularly for older adults, by installing eight artistic benches, an accessible pavilion and materials and supplies that support community gardening.
  
• City of Osceola: This project will install a tree-shaded paved walking path along the Rosenwald playground, next to the Osceola Senior Center, to support daily exercise and promote the integration of older adult and youth recreational spaces.
  
• The Malvern-Hot Spring County Library: This project expands an existing Story Trail & Garden by adding six planters and a decorative garden seating set, as well as materials to support community programming, including outdoor easels for painting classes, giveaway books for seasonal events, and summer reading program baskets.

The Community Challenge is part of AARP’s nationwide 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.

To learn more about the work being funded by the AARP Community Challenge both here in Arkansas as well as across the nation, visit aarp.org/CommunityChallenge. You can also view an interactive map of all of the Community Challenge projects and AARP Arkansas’s livable communities work at aarp.org/livable.