AARP Grants Aim to Boost Livability

Angie Stillson can vouch for the popularity of the six new pickleball courts in Stauffer Park in Nappanee, south of Elkhart. Even when she’s not on the court herself, Stillson, 58, can hear the plink-plunk of others playing from her house.

“It was just this dead space that now is filled with people,” says Stillson, co-owner of a graphic design company and codirector of the Nappanee Arts Center. “It’s age 6 to age 90 playing out there, all together.”

Stillson was one of 57 donors who raised nearly $37,000 for the courts, a sum that unlocked grants from the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority and AARP Indiana to finish the job.

The pickleball courts—which opened in March—were among the first projects to receive funding through a partnership between AARP and the housing agency, which began last year. The program, called CreatINg Livable Communities, is geared toward improving the quality of life for Hoosiers 50 and older.

Photo by Taylor Glascock

The projects “help people appreciate where they live and want to remain where they live,” says Addison Pollock, AARP Indiana's director of community engagement. The collaboration grew out of a broader housing authority program called CreatINg Places, in which the state agency teamed up with a crowd-granting company called Patronicity. Local governments and nonprofits propose a community project and set a funding goal.

Once approved by state officials and Patronicity, campaigns generally have 30 to 60 days to raise money from the public. If they meet their goal, the housing authority matches the amount raised, up to $50,000.

From alley to gallery

AARP joined the mission in 2023, adding $5,000 each to five projects last year, on top of the state funding. AARP is doing so again this year. In addition to the pickleball courts, the other AARP-supported projects were public park renovations in both Muncie and Evansville; a paddle sports launch site on the Wabash River near Vera Cruz; and the transformation of a blighted alleyway in Anderson into an outdoor art gallery, now dubbed Artist Alley.

In Anderson, leaders of a community arts co-op came up with the idea to revitalize the alley. The crowdfunding and grant money was used to convert the public space into a destination, with 10 large works of local art on rotating display. The project included the addition of lighting and security cameras.

The goal was to create a free attraction that linked parts of downtown and complemented other investments in the arts, says project champion Levi Rinker, the downtown specialist for Anderson’s economic development department. He notes the space is within walking distance of several senior living communities.

Artist Alley has featured a three-dimensional painting by Susan Morgan, 68, a retired art teacher, as well as work by six other older artists. “He’s given us a voice in the community,” Morgan says of Rinker’s inclusion of artists 50-plus. “A lot of times we just kind of fade from sight when new talent comes up.”

This year, AARP is awarding another $25,000 in total to fund five projects. As of press time, one grant slot remained open, two had reached their fundraising goals and two others were in the midst of their fundraising campaigns.

The proposals include adding a wheelchair lift at a nonprofit art and yoga center in Vernon, building an outdoor recreational sportsplex in Brookville, creating a multigenerational park in Morocco and building an accessible ramp for the Indy Art Center’s Cultural Complex in Indianapolis.

Meagan Heber, the state housing authority’s placemaking manager, says the agency alerted AARP when it came across a proposal that aligned with the organization’s mission to create livable communities. The joint projects have connected neighbors and encouraged a variety of people to visit the new amenities, she says.

“It’s just really cool to see the momentum that these somewhat small projects can really build,” she says.

To learn more, visit patronicity.com/aarpindiana.

Sarah Hollander, a freelance writer and former daily newspaper reporter in Cleveland, has written for the Bulletin for 15 years.

Also of interest:

• Grants Fund Local Improvements in Indiana
• Top 100 Places to Live in the U.S. for Older Adults
• Keep up with local events and AARP advocacy efforts in Indiana