AARP Awards Grants to Six Pennsylvania Organizations as Part of its Nationwide Program to Make Communities More Livable

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 28, 2023

MEDIA CONTACT:
TJ Thiessen, tthiessen@aarp.og, 202-374-8033

Harrisburg, PA — Today, AARP Pennsylvania announced six organizations throughout the state will receive 2023 Community Challenge grants – part of the largest group of grantees to date, with $3.6 million awarded among 310 organizations nationwide. Grantees will implement quick-action projects that help communities become more livable by improving public places; transportation; housing; digital connections; diversity, equity and inclusion; and more, emphasizing the needs of adults age 50 and older.

“AARP Pennsylvania is committed to working with local leaders to improve residents’ quality of life through tangible changes,” said AARP Pennsylvania State Director Bill Johnston-Walsh. “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 Pennsylvanians 50 and over.”

Here in Pennsylvania, projects funded include:

• Paza, Tree of Life: This project will turn an open space adjacent to the public library into a community gathering area with benches, a sculpture and a garden paying tribute to Native American culture. The site will be maintained by the public Library and used for activities of all ages, including school-age and senior groups. Paza, the Palmer Township municipal government and the Library will spearhead planned community gatherings.
• Millersburg Borough: Millersburg, a rural town with a large older population, has been hit considerably hard economically by COVID and rampant inflation, which has raised the cost of groceries and gas concerns for those living on a fixed income. AARP will help fund a project to provide benches and raised beds for a newly-created community garden and install raised garden beds near senior apartment buildings.
• Bike Pittsburgh: This project will establish, train and grow neighborhood-specific bike, pedestrian and traffic-calming advocacy committees. These committees will advocate for their neighborhoods to receive traffic calming improvements to protect cyclists, pedestrians, people with disabilities, and older adults. Support from AARP will allow BikePGH to offer a series of six trainings that vary in format and time to allow for full accessibility and engagement. Participants will benefit from concrete advocacy training, networking and project-specific mentoring. This effort will lead to specific and community-driven physical infrastructure improvements that may include new crosswalks, bike lanes or traffic calming measures that will improve all community members' safety and quality of life.
• Bike Share Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh’s bike rental community lacks accessible bike options that accommodate persons with disabilities, seniors, and riders above 300 lbs. This results in a lack of equitable mobility options for Pittsburgh seniors and those with physical limitations. This project will provide seven accessible bikes suited explicitly for older residents and people with disabilities, which will be available for rent in Pittsburgh's Southside neighborhood along the Great Allegheny Passage.
• Philly Community Wireless: A recent study shows that 29% of low-income Philadelphians lack internet. Philly Community Wireless (PCW) is a volunteer-led coalition whose mission is to expand free, community-led wireless networks for the most underserved populations in Philadelphia. The project was developed in early 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted daily life for millions and made reliable, at-home internet access an essential component of work, education and healthcare. This project will equip two senior high-rise apartments with a Wi-Fi network. The signals will be able to reach a nearby intergenerational playground and other outdoor areas.
• SACA Development Corporation: The "Clean, Green and Safe" project will make it safer for older Southeast Lancaster residents to walk to the Marin Senior Center, where they regularly receive hot meals, socialize, link with mental health services, play bingo, and enjoy music, arts and crafts. “Clean, Green, and Safe” will enhance walkability and access to the senior center by adding shade trees, plants, benches, trash receptacles and public safety cameras along the route and outside the center.

AARP Community Challenge grant projects will be funded in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. True to the program’s quick-action nature, projects must be completed by November 30, 2023.

This year, the AARP Community Challenge accepted applications across three grant opportunities, including existing flagship grants and 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 is also bolstering its investment in rural communities, mobility innovation, transportation options, and health and food access.

“These grants continue to lead to long-term, positive changes in communities across the country,” said Nancy LeaMond, AARP Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy & Engagement Officer. “This year, we are proud to support the largest number of projects in the program’s seven-year history, which will improve residents’ quality of life through tangible changes so everyone can thrive as they age.”

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, especially those age 50 and older. Since 2017, AARP Pennsylvania has awarded 33 grants and $353,165 through the program to nonprofit organizations and government entities across the state.

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

###

About AARP

AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to the more than 100 million Americans 50-plus and their families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org/about-aarp/, www.aarp.org/español or follow @AARP, @AARPenEspañol and @AARPadvocates on social media.