AARP Awards Community Grants to 6 Virginia Organizations As Part of Another Record-breaking Year for Nationwide Program

Communities across Virginia are all working to become more livable for residents of all ages.

And, AARP is working across Virginia 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 number of projects to-date through the Community Challenge program. These quick-action grants are being distributed to 244 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, diversity and inclusion, civic engagement, coronavirus response and more.

AARP Virginia is incredibly proud to have 6 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 as local leaders seek to better their communities for the future, this is even more critical.

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

• Arlington County Commission on Aging, in partnership with Alliance for Arlington Senior Programs, will work to raise awareness and visibility of pedestrian safety by using small, handheld “see me” flags at intersections to make pedestrians more visible to drivers.
• Downtown Lynchburg Association will create Art Alley, a placemaking project that will transform an overlooked alley into a vibrant destination with artistic walls, doorways, and windows and an overhead creative installation.
• Habitat for Humanity Powhatan will engage community members to explore plans to turn a historic school building into an intergenerational housing complex.
• Powhatan County Department of Social Services Ride Assist Services will install accessible benches and make three-wheeled cruiser bicycles available to provide more mobility options and foster a greater sense of community involvement for older residents.
• Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission’s Regional Transportation Collaborative will launch a community awareness and trust building campaign designed to help older adults and individuals with disabilities feel more comfortable when trying new mobility initiatives, accessing volunteer transportation, and utilizing mobility supports in general.
• Venture Richmond will create a custom-designed parklet that will bring an artistic solution to Brookland Park, a neighborhood that is desperately in need of public gathering space, shade, and places to sit for people of all ages and abilities.

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