AARP Community Challenge Announces 159 Grantees, Including Three Chicago Recipients

CHICAGO, July 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, AARP announced the awardees for its 2019 AARP Community Challenge grant program, including three recipients right here Illinois. A total of nearly $1.6 million will be distributed to fund 159 "quick action" projects across the country, helping communities make immediate improvements and jumpstart long-term progress to support residents of all ages. Nearly 1,700 applications were received from non-profits and government entities for the program, now in its third year. Each of the projects, which must be completed by November 4, is designed to achieve one or more of the following outcomes:

• Create vibrant public places that improve open spaces, parks and access to other amenities.
• Demonstrate the tangible value of "Smart Cities" by engaging residents and policymakers in accessing, understanding and using data to increase quality of life for all.
• Deliver a range of transportation and mobility options that increase connectivity, walkability, bikeability, wayfinding, access to transportation options and roadway improvements.
• Support the availability of a range of housing that increases accessible and affordable housing options.

Here in Chicago, grantees include:

• DevCorp North dba Rogers Park Business Alliance, 7036 N. Clark St., which received a $7,500 grant to purchase, re-locate and install a small public plaza or "People Spot" in a high pedestrian traffic area of the Clark Street commercial corridor. The People Spot will be a small, stand-alone public plaza built out from the sidewalk into a city parking space and will include benches, plantings and other beautification elements.
• The Recyclery Collective, 7628 N. Paulina St., which received a $3,500 grant to collaborate with local artists to create Art Potholes to repair streets in Chicago. The organization will work with community members to make mosaics and then install the mosaics as functional art, filling in potholes while making roads more rideable.
• Elevate Energy, 322 S. Green St., which received a $22,600 grant to address the city's affordable housing crisis by helping low-income senior homeowners make comprehensive renovations to their two-unit buildings. The renovations will include making accessibility upgrades, addressing maintenance issues that have been deferred (thus making the units unavailable for rent) and completing energy efficiency upgrades. The project will allow senior homeowners to age in place and return rental units back to the market.

"AARP Illinois commends these Chicago organizations for thinking creatively and proposing solutions that will make it more possible for older adults to stay in the communities where they want to age," said Rosanna Marquez, Volunteer State President for AARP Illinois which has 1.7 million members. 

The full list of grantees can be found at www.aarp.org/communitychallenge.

"AARP has teams on the ground in communities across the country who hear from mayors, community leaders and local residents about the value of getting quick wins to create long-term change. We developed the Community Challenge grant program to answer that call and help build momentum for more livable communities nationwide," said Nancy LeaMond, AARP Executive Vice President, Community, State and National Affairs. "This year, we are proud to fund more projects in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands."

The Community Challenge grant program is part of AARP's nationwide Livable Communities initiative which helps communities become great places to live for residents of all ages. As part of this, AARP staff and volunteers are working across the country, engaging and mobilizing residents, delivering technical assistance and expertise to local leaders and organizations, and supporting the work of the 381 communities and four states that have enrolled in the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities.  

About AARP
AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence and nearly 38 million members, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org or follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates on social media. 

SOURCE AARP Illinois