Grants Fund Local Improvements in Oklahoma

As the 2026 centennial celebration of U.S. Route 66 approaches, the city of Yukon in the Oklahoma City region is working to make its streets safer for its residents—and for the expected influx of tourists.

Yukon 66 Main Street, a local nonprofit, received a $6,990 AARP Community Challenge grant to buy 10 flashing pedestrian crossing signs that can be placed on the city’s Main Street during festivals and other events. Main Street—part of the historic Route 66, which was established in 1926—is four lanes wide and on a hill.

Four additional signs will help direct drivers unfamiliar with the area to available parking, says Vicki Davis, Yukon’s Main Street director. “We’re trying to develop a safe, walkable district,” Davis says.

The nonprofit is one of seven Oklahoma groups that received 2024 AARP Community Challenge grants totaling $66,550. The grants fund projects to make localities more livable.

Another grant of $3,200 will fund the creation of a community garden in South Coffeyville, on the Kansas border. Its raised beds will be used to grow Cherokee heirloom plants, such as corn and beans, says Kris Crane, with Native American Fellowship Inc., a community group that is part of the Cherokee Nation. The grant will also pay for benches.

Other grant recipients are:

• Meals on Wheels of Metro Tulsa, to provide home safety upgrades for older adults.
• Town of Cole, to create two community storm shelters.
• Comanche Nation Elder Council in Lawton, to build a community garden.
• Town of Davenport, to provide older residents with portable generators and carbon monoxide detectors.
• Food on the Move in Tulsa, to improve accessibility for older adults at a community garden.

—David Lewellen