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Springfield, MA
Change City

A 2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee Walks the Walk

Posted on 11/21/24 by Bob Lovinger

AARP Community Challenge grants enable cities, towns and non-profit organizations to make their communities more livable for older residents in a myriad of ways.
In 2024, AARP Massachusetts awarded 16 grants for projects that ranged from digital literacy classes and park bench installation to the building of raised garden beds for people to grow their own produce and flowers.
Do you see a need going unmet in your town? See below for more on how to apply for a grant in 2025.
But first, here’s a look at how one Massachusetts city is using the grant it received from AARP in 2024.

The Downtown Taunton Walking Trail
When the Downtown Taunton Foundation developed its most recent 5-year strategic plan, a walking trail landed near the top of its to-do list.

First the Foundation used a 2023 AARP Community Challenge grant to conduct a series of downtown “walking audits.” It also held public forums to find out whether a trail was a good idea and to get feedback from residents on what features the trail might embrace.

“By the end of the year, thanks to the AARP walking audit grant, we had our plan,” says Eileen Kelleher, the Foundation’s program manager. The goal: to establish a walking trail that would enhance walkability and pedestrian safety, while fostering fitness, recreation and economic development.

With its plan in hand, the Foundation applied for and won a 2024 AARP grant – this one to help make the trail a reality.

The trail is now up and running, er, walking. It sports historical landmarks, places to sit and a child-friendly “story walk,” It will also eventually boast other features – some permanent, some temporary – including interactive art exhibits. The trail has no starting or ending point; you climb aboard at any point. At this writing, there are six signs along the way containing historical photos and text, with more to come.

The Foundation has developed a map of the trail. The map is hanging in various spots downtown and will soon be online at the Foundation’s website. It’s dynamic; that is, the map is changing as the project ads features to the trail. One upcoming add-on: spray-painted footprints to suggest a direction for walkers.

The trail is the product of a robust partnership the Foundation engineered with a number of local private organizations, along with the City of Taunton’s Parks & Recreation Department, the Department of Public Works, and the mayor’s office.

Recently, the Foundation and its partners conducted a guided walk for members of Taunton’s 50+ community, followed by a reception at a local art gallery. “It was a fantastic event,” Kelleher says.

The project has received great reviews from the town’s residents, she notes. A couple of hundred people participated in an online contest to name the trail. The winner: “The Downtown Riverwalk & Heritage Trail”.

Do you have a project that could make your community more livable for older residents? AARP might be able to help.

AARP Community Challenge grants are awarded to municipalities and non-profit organizations for projects that can make “tangible improvements” in the lives of older residents.

The funding helps communities in three ways:

  1. Grantees are able to overcome policy barriers and advance change.
  2. AARP grants are often helpful in leveraging additional funding from other sources.
  3. Grantees gain greater engagement with other community partners.

 
Facts and figures
The average grant amount is $11,900.
The 2025 grant application period will open on in January. Applications are due by the beginning of March. The announcement of grant awards will occur in June. Projects must be completed and reports on the projects filed with AARP by December.
For more information, sign up for the AARP Livability Communities newsletter at www.aarp.org/livable-communities/livable-community-news-alerts/

This story is provided by AARP Massachusetts. Visit the AARP Massachusetts page for more news, events, and programs affecting retirement, health care, and more.

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