2021 AARP Community Challenge Grants Go to Six Ohio Organizations

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

And, AARP is working across Ohio 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.

Now in its fifth year, 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 Ohio is incredibly proud to have six 2021 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 Ohio, these exciting and diverse projects were funded:

• Asian Services in Action, Inc.: To improve access to food among the Akron area’s diverse immigrant, refugee and low-income residents, a public pavilion will be constructed to house a community farmer’s market. 
• City of Chillicothe: Part of a months-long plan to improve the Chillicothe Transit System, this project will construct and install artistic, accessible bus stop infrastructure to improve social connections among existing and new riders. 
• Cleveland’s May Dugan Center (Near West Side Multi Service Corp. dba): To create an outdoor space for seniors to meet, eat, and relax, at a community center, picnic tables and umbrellas will be installed. 
• Richland Community Development Group: A temporary linear park will be installed to enliven a downtown road and help residents envision what a permanent connection between the Imagination District and the Carrousel District could be. 
• Sourcepoint: A space to engage residents and community volunteers in healthy, social activities, will be created with an accessible community garden with benches and a path at an apartment for older adults and physically disabled persons in Delaware county. 
• Village of Amesville: As part of Amesville's status as a "Bee City USA," a large pollinator garden will be created and will include guided tours and educational classes. 

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