Milwaukee & West Allis projects among 8 WI winners of AARP grants aimed at making communities more livable for all
MADISON, WI – Today, AARP announced that eight organizations throughout Wisconsin – including the Dominican Center in Milwaukee and the West Allis Fire Department – will receive 2024 AARP Community Challenge grants totaling a combined $102,000.
“AARP Wisconsin is committed to working with local leaders, advocates and policymakers to make our communities better places to live for Wisconsinites of all ages, especially those 50 and older,” said AARP Wisconsin State Director Martha Cranley. “We are proud to collaborate with this year’s grantees as they make immediate improvements to address long-standing and emerging challenges across our communities.”
The Dominican Center in Milwaukee will receive 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.
The other six grant winners in Wisconsin include:
Elkhorn – The Elkhorn Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Center will receive 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 will receive 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. will receive 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 will receive 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.
Spring Valley – Spring Valley Seniors Staying Put Inc. will receive 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.
This year, AARP awarded three different grant opportunities, including flagship grants, capacity-building microgrants for improving walkability, bikeability and accessible home modifications, and demonstration grants that focus on equitable engagement to reconnect communities, housing choice design competitions and improving digital connections to endure disasters.
With funding support from Toyota Motor North America, the program is increasing its investment in pedestrian safety projects that will improve streets and sidewalks, create vibrant pedestrian infrastructure, engage community members and much more. AARP is also bolstering its investment in community resilience, rural communities, and addressing disparities.
The grant program is part of AARP’s nationwide Livable Communities initiative, which supports the efforts of cities, towns, neighborhoods and rural areas to become great places to live for people of all ages, with an emphasis on people ages 50 and older.
AARP Community Challenge grant projects will be funded in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Projects must be completed by December 15, 2024. View the full list of grantees and their project descriptions at aarp.org/communitychallenge and learn more about AARP’s livable communities work at aarp.org/livable.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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