AARP Utah 2020 Communuty Challenge Grant Recipients!

Communities across Utah are working each and every day to become more livable for residents of all ages.

In support of that work, AARP is excited to announce the largest number of grantees and funds to-date through the Community Challenge grant program. These “quick action” grants are being distributed to 184 organizations across all 50 states, Washington D.C, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Community Challenge funds innovative projects that inspire change in areas such as transportation, public spaces, housing, smart cities, civic engagement, coronavirus response and more.

AARP Utah is incredibly proud to have 3 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 the coronavirus pandemic has only underscored the importance of this work.

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

Adopt-A-Native-Elder: This grant will help Navajo elders age in place and honors their traditional lifestyle through a food certificate program, as well as supply deliveries that include vital medicine and firewood.

Cache Refugee and Immigrant Connection: The “Neighbor Program” project will foster inter-generational and inter-racial friendships among residents by partnering refugee/immigrant families with families that are native to the area and provide them with fun activities and events.

University of Utah Geriatric Psychiatry Clinic: In order to improve social connection among nursing home residents during the COVID-19 crisis, this project will pilot "Conversation Cafes" to provide a weekly virtual gathering place for them and their families. It will also provide for the installation of high-speed internet where none exists, installation of Wi-Fi boosters where there are weak or intermittent signals, and platform-specific training for staff.

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