AARP Wisconsin: 2024 Year in Review

Thanks for another great year in 2024! We are honored to serve Wisconsinites by offering the information and resources you need and by advocating for positive social change in the Badger state. Read below to see what AARP Wisconsin did in 2024, or use the links to jump to specific sections:

LIVABLE COMMUNITIES | LOCAL, STATE & NATIONAL ADVOCACY | OUTREACH & EDUCATION

We believe that communities should provide safe, walkable streets; age-friendly housing and transportation options; access to needed services; and opportunities for residents of all ages to participate in community life. AARP Wisconsin supports the efforts of neighborhoods, towns, cities, and rural areas to be great places for people of all ages through our Livable Communities initiative.

In 2024, we:

• Welcomed Milwaukee County into our Age Friendly Network (the FIRST county in Wisconsin to join) 
• Worked with state and local leaders to enhance existing infrastructure or create new infrastructure to support housing, transportation, and social connection across the state 
• Invested over $100,000 in Wisconsin communities, funding projects that enhanced local infrastructure and facilitated social connection. 
  
  • Elkhorn – The Elkhorn Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Center received a $20,000 grant to create an adult-focused, dementia-friendly park in their downtown business district to provide socialization and critically-needed infrastructure for older adults. 
  • Green Bay – Oneida Nation received a $20,000 grant to create a landscaped garden for growing medicinal plants traditional to the Oneida Nation. Signage in the garden will describe each plants importance, history, and use. Community elders will harvest the plants for social and medicinal purposes. 
  • Kenosha – Kenosha Area Family & Aging Services, Inc. received a $15,000 grant to boost its Senior and Veteran Home Program. This program helps older residents to remain living in their own homes as long as possible by assessing and completing necessary repairs that will address safety and accessibility issues. 
  • La Crosse – The City of La Crosse received a $19,800 grant to launch an accessory dwelling unit design competition to promote affordable residential development with a focus on older adults' housing needs. Winning designs will serve as models for ADU construction, expediting the approval process for homeowners. 
  • Milwaukee – The Dominican Center received an $8,500 grant to enable the city’s Amani neighborhood to install a beautiful traffic-calming planter in an effort to increase safety in an area where vehicle and pedestrian safety is at risk.
  • Monticello – The Green County Development Corporation received a $13,700 grant to improve safety, walkability, and connectivity in the county. The funds will help catalyze the development of secure and welcoming environments in rural communities. 
  • Spring Valley – Spring Valley Seniors Staying Put Inc. received a $2,500 grant to train handy volunteers in assessing fall risks in seniors’ homes and repairing or installing commonsense fixes to make their spaces safer. 
  • West Allis – The West Allis Fire Department received $2,500 to conduct 10 home safety inspections utilizing the AARP HomeFit guide to identify safety issues. They will install safety devices wherever necessary in these homes and conduct educational trainings for community members. 
  • Beloit – The City of Beloit’s Grinnell Hall Senior Center received $1,000 to bring people together to learn the ukelele and share generational stories. 
  • Green Bay – On Broadway, Inc. received $1,000 to improve safety at their Farmer’s Market on Broadway events by having a portable Automated External Defibrillator (AED) on site. 
  • Madison - The Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired received $1,000 to create signage for three garden spaces and four flowerpots in the Council’s sensory garden. 
  • Milwaukee –  VIA Community Development Corporation (VIA CDC) received $1,000 to create a series of beautification projects along National Avenue from 31st to 38th Street, which they are calling the “Pedestrian Dignity Project”. 

Jump: LOCAL, STATE & NATIONAL ADVOCACY | OUTREACH & EDUCATION

We work with local, state, and national legislators to make positive change for Wisconsinites. Our advocacy falls into three main categories: health security, financial security, and livable communities. 

In 2024 we:

• Championed family caregivers, lobbying for a Caregiver Tax Credit and expanded FMLA coverage  
• Continued to fight for Mediaid Expansion (BadgerCare), which would ensure people get the critical healthcare they need  
• Opposed a bill that would have increased utility rates for residents across the state  
• Supported Accessory Dwelling Unit ordinances in La Crosse and Madison, increasing access to housing options in those cities 
• Worked with Peawaukee residents to fight a discriminatory EMT fee that was disproportionately affecting seniors 
• Collaborated with local leaders to ensure more Milwaukee bus stops had shelters  

Jump: LIVABLE COMMUNITIES | OUTREACH & EDUCATION

Throughout the year, we offer free in-person and virtual events where Wisconsinites can come together to learn something new, meet new friends, and have fun.

In 2024 we:

• Celebrated volunteerism by continuing to engage our team of volunteers across the state and by awarding Janice Wilberg with our 2024 Andrus Award for Community Service 
• Hosted or participated in 125 Events  
• Reached over 14,500 people with messages around:
  
  • Caregiving 
  • Fraud Prevention 
  • Social Security 
  • Livable Communities 
  • Healthy Living 
• Held a statewide listening tour around Social Security  
• Provided Wisconsinites with up-to-date information about how, when, and where to vote through emails and our online voter guide  
• Connected consumers with fraud prevention specialists so they could get their questions about scams answered  
• Collaborated with countless state & community partners to bring residents the information they wanted and needed 

Jump: LIVABLE COMMUNITIES | LOCAL, STATE & NATIONAL ADVOCACY