Boosting Livability in Vermont Communities

Seven Vermont entities received 2025 AARP Community Challenge grants to help fund quick-action projects aimed at making communities more livable.

Among them: Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports, which works to expand sports and recreational activities to people with disabilities and veterans. The group is using a $2,500 AARP grant to conduct bike accessibility audits in several locations: the Slate Valley Trails in Poultney, Pine Hill Park in Rutland and Raptor Lane Trails in Dorset.

“Recreation is huge in Vermont, and so what we’re trying to do ... is to heighten the accessibility awareness,” says Jeff Alexander, Vermont Adaptive’s director of strategic partnerships and business development. People who use adaptive bikes face different challenges when cycling, he notes, so the nonprofit is looking at how wide the trails are and checking for tight switchbacks, among other hazards.

Learn more at aarp.org/vt.