AARP Invests in Communities Across Ohio Through Seven Organizations as Part of Nationwide Grant Program

Communities across Ohio 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, new capacity-building microgrants for improving walkability and community gardens, and new demonstration grants for improving transportation systems, with funding support provided by Toyota Motor North America, in addition to housing choice design competitions.

AARP Ohio is incredibly proud to have seven 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 Ohio, these exciting and diverse projects were funded:

• Shanti Community Farms, Inc., located in Akron, will create a new urban farm for its neighborhood, which is home to African and Bhutanese immigrant families, with individual garden plots and elevated beds for older gardeners.
  
• Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio, located in Blue Ash, will create an online portal for older adults and their caregivers to schedule their own specialized transportation and receive trip updates.
  
• City of Chillicothe will turn a vacant and blighted property into the Sixth Ward's first-ever park, providing access to outdoor space for all generations.
  
• Rural Chapel United Methodist Church, located in Galena, will support older adults and family caregivers with enhanced digital and in-person programs to alleviate isolation.
  
• StarkFresh, located in Canton, will transform a vacant space inside an old elementary school building into a full-service grocery store located next to senior high-rise apartments.
  
• Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership, located in Warren, will convert a vacant property—the site of a demolished former hospital—into a greenspace for older adults by installing trees, landscaping, a walking path and lighting.
  
• Union Miles Development Corporation, located in Cleveland, will provide home repair services to older residents in the Union-Miles neighborhood to help them to live safely in their homes.
  

“AARP Ohio is committed to working with local leaders to improve residents’ quality of life through tangible changes,” said State Director Holly Holtzen. “We are proud to collaborate with this year’s grantees as they make immediate improvements in their communities to jumpstart long-term change, especially for Ohioans 50 and over.”

Since 2017, AARP Ohio has awarded 36 grants and $535,378 through the program to nonprofit organizations and government entities across the state.

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.