2023 CHallenge Grant Impact stories
Auburn City Councilor Leroy Walker (L) and Transportation Systems Director Jonathan Labonte and crew audit the Great Falls Plaza.
UD Guide 1-12.pdf
Volunteers in Sullivan Celebrate their New AED!
The AARP Community Challenge Grants program fund innovative projects that inspire change in areas such as public places; housing; transportation; diversity, equity, and inclusion; digital connections; community resilience; and more. Last year, 14 Maine communities earned awards. Here are a few examples of how they were used and the impact that the projects have had on the community.
Using the AARP Walk Audit ToolKit and the $2500 Capacity-Building Microgrant, the city of Auburn, under the leadership of Auburn Transportation Systems Director Jonathan LaBonté, began the work of evaluating safe transportation conditions – safe for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers alike – throughout the city. This information will inform town leaders ways in which road conditions can be improved and where those improvements are needed.
Recognizing that the principles of Universal Design provided benefits for persons of all abilities and ages, the town of Bowdoinham, in partnership with Age-Friendly Bowdoinham, created a guide – written in plain language – that promotes the use of these principles to create housing that is more inclusive, safe and accessible. As an added bonus, Homes for All Ages + Abilities: A Guide to Universal Design can be customized with photos and stories from your Lifelong Community. For more information, email agefriendly@bowdoinham.com.
Age-Friendly Sullivan, in partnership with the town, used their $3000 Challenge Grant to fund the installation of an AED (automatic external defibrillator) in the town office – a place where residents gather to socialize – as well as take care of town business. In the case of sudden cardiac arrest, the AED is used to reestablish a healthy rhythm to the heart, until first responders can arrive. Now, Sullivan residents and visitors alike have another health safety tool available to them.