AARP invests in communities across Louisiana through 7 organizations as part of nationwide grant program

Communities across Louisiana are working to become more livable for residents of all ages. AARP is working in partnership with local leaders, organizations, and dedicated residents to help make that vision a reality. As part of that effort, AARP is excited to announce the largest investment of grant dollars to date through the Community Challenge grant program. More than $3.6 million in quick-action grants are being distributed to 310 organizations across all 50 states, Washington D.C, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The AARP Community Challenge funds innovative projects that inspire change in areas such as public places, housing; transportation; diversity, equity, and inclusion; digital connections; community resilience; and more.

This year, AARP is also bolstering its investment in rural communities, mobility innovation, transportation options, and health and food access. The program accepted applications across three different grant opportunities, including existing flagship grants in addition to new capacity-building microgrants for improving walkability and community gardens. New demonstration grants will focus on improving transportation systems, with funding support provided by Toyota Motor North America, and housing choice design competitions.

AARP Louisiana is incredibly proud to have seven (7) 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. As local leaders seek to better their communities for the future, this becomes even more critical.

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

• Belle Chasse Community Garden- This project will construct a walking track with benches around the perimeter of a community garden.
  
• City of Harahan- The city will conduct four walk audits along a state highway to identify potential locations for sidewalk and crosswalk improvements. This project will recruit volunteers from a local senior center to participate.
  
• Delta Chapter of the Sierra Club- This project will create a video to depict a typical day on local transit. It will organize community meetings with the aim of bringing residents who use the Baton Rouge area bus system together with its operators to improve service and increase ridership.
  
• City of Hammond- This project will transform an underutilized public space into a multipurpose place capable of hosting special events that bring older adults and people of all ages together in one cultural location.
  
• Greater St. Mary Community Development Foundation- African American churches will create cooling centers powered by in-ground generators and expand their digital hubs to provide safe, cool places for residents to digitally connect with recovery resources and get assistance during weather emergencies.
  
• New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, Inc.- This project will renovate a meeting space and intergenerational playground in an affordable housing development built for low-income musicians who were displaced in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
  
• Village of Dixie Inn- The project will install shade coverings in the local park to make it more comfortable and enjoyable for residents of all ages.

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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana’s livable communities work at aarp.org/livable.