AARP Kansas Awards Grants to Seven Organizations

AARP announced seven organizations throughout Kansas received 2024 Community Challenge grants – part of AARP’s largest investment in communities to date with $3.8 million awarded among 343 organizations nationwide.

“AARP Kansas is committed to working with local leaders, advocates and policymakers to make our communities better places to live for Kansans of all ages, especially those 50 and older,” said [AARP Kansas State Director, Glenda DuBoise. “We are proud to collaborate with this year’s grantees as they make immediate improvements to address long-standing and emerging challenges across our communities.”

Here in Kansas projects funded include:

· Auburn Parks and Recreation/Auburn City Council will receive $17,345 Flagship grant to place a new gazebo in the city’s Heritage Park. This is part of the city’s efforts to enhance the park to serve all residents with a special emphasis on people 50+. 

· The City of Clyde is receiving a $15,000 Flagship grant to continue its working in creating a new Village Green to extend Reflections Park. The project will provide permanent, low maintenance seating throughout the site to create a space for multi-generational community conversation and events.

· The Strawberry Hill Neighborhood Association received a $1,543 Flagship grant to revitalize the Diehl Orchard. The money will be used to upgrade the community garden to ensure it can be used as a functional space that provides fresh produce and seasonal programing for youth and 50+ community leaders.

· The Mulvane Recreation Foundation will receive a $2,500 Capacity-Building grant to perform walk audits in the City of Mulvane. The audits will help to enhance safety and walkability in the community, especially for the 50+ population. Mulvane will use the AARP Walk Audit toolkit for its assessments.

· Stafford County Economic Development Inc. will receive a $19,000 Flagship grant to renovate the existing tennis courts into four pickleball courts in St. John, Kansas. The brainchild of a group of 50+ residents called the St. John Pickleball Club, the project will also include the creation of pickleball events and tournaments to bring together different age groups in the community.

· The Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas will receive a $15,000 Flagship grant to install 10 benches in key locations across Kansas City, Kansas, including parks, bus stops, and public services areas. The locations were selected by the Community for All Ages Committee.

· The Veterans of Foreign Wars Dix Day Post 1281 will receive a $2,500 Capacity-Building grant to continue the community's efforts to renovate and beautify the Herington Pocket Park.

The grant program is part of AARP’s nationwide Livable Communities initiative, which supports the efforts of cities, towns, neighborhoods and rural areas to become great places to live for people of all ages, with an emphasis on people ages 50 and older. Since 2017, AARP Kansas has awarded 30 grants and $354,761 through the program to nonprofit organizations and government entities across the state.

View the full list of grantees and their project descriptions at aarp.org/communitychallenge and learn more about AARP’s livable communities work at aarp.org/livable.