Seven Recipients Part of AARP Connecticut’s Seventh Livable Communities Grant Program

AARP Connecticut has selected seven recipients of the 2024 Livable Communities Grant Program, a state extension of the national AARP Community Challenge grant initiative. Now in its seventh year, the grant program funds quick-action projects that help Connecticut’s neighborhoods, towns and cities be great places to live for people of all ages. AARP Connecticut has awarded grants for 45 projects across the state since the inception of the program in 2018.

AARP Connecticut launched the Livable Communities Grant Program to provide nonprofit organizations and municipalities in Connecticut with up to $5,000 for projects that help make immediate improvements or jumpstart long-term progress that will support residents. The program is open to incorporated organizations that are 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) nonprofits and Connecticut municipalities who seek to make improvements in their neighborhood or community in Connecticut. The 2024 recipients are:

• Airline Trail Steering Committee
  The Airline Trail Steering Committee will use this grant to construct a new parking lot at the flat portion of the Air Line Hiking Trail in Portland, creating a more accessible entrance to the trail for hikers of all abilities including the growing Senior Hiking Club and those with rollators, canes, and other health related symptoms.
• City of West Haven
  Funding from this grant will support the construction of a new internet café at the West Haven Senior Center, creating a welcoming space for older adults to socialize, learn, communicate via computers and iPads, and increase their comfort using modern technology.
• Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust
  Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust in Woodbury will use this funding to purchase outdoor benches for a newly completed accessible pavilion. The benches will be positioned in the pavilion, and at scenic spots along an adjacent half-mile loop trail.
• Life Health and Wellness Center
  With this grant, the Life Health and Wellness Center in Ansonia will purchase collapsible, portable shopping carts for those with mobility or transportation challenges who use the Center’s food pantry. Located on a bus line, residents can bring the carts back and forth to the pantry and take them on a bus or walk home with them. The Life Health and Wellness promotes educational programs for youth and adults through collaboration and partnerships in the community around education and academic success, and health and wellbeing including prevention of illness and chronic diseases.
• SilverSource
  Funding from this grant will support SilverSource Lifelong Learning Lab’s launch of the “Digital Education Project” in Stamford. This valuable cost-free training on the use of digital devices and internet connectivity will provide the older adult community knowledge to access essential online services like telehealth, government resources, personal finance services, and connection with friends and family.
• Thrive 55+ Active Learning Center
  This grant will support the installation of shade sails in the outdoor seating area in front of the Thrive 55+ Active Learning Center in Groton, creating a safer and more comfortable meeting space for patrons. The project also aligns with social participation goals outlined in Groton’s Age-Friendly Plan, as well as the Town’s Climate Action Plan emphasizing the need for cooling areas.
• UR Community Cares
  This grant will support UR Community Cares in Manchester enhance resources for blind and vision impaired residents with funding to help create the UR Vision Center. The new equipment will provide access to individuals who need assistance reading emails, mail, accessing critical information, and providing items to improve daily life.

Projects can range from small, short-term activities to larger, permanent solutions, but they must be completed within 12 months of receiving the funding. Grant applications were evaluated for projects in Connecticut with a focus on improving the lives of those 50+ and making a positive impact within one of the following 8 Domains of Livability:

• Outdoor spaces and buildings
• Transportation
• Housing
• Social Participation
• Respect and Social Inclusion
• Work and Civic Engagement
• Communication and Information
• Community and Health Services 

While AARP Connecticut’s Livable Communities Grant Program is only open to Connecticut towns and nonprofits, AARP’s nationwide Livable Communities initiative funds projects in all 50 states, Washington DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. AARP announced on June 26 that it will fund 343 projects across the country in 2024, including seven in Connecticut, as part of its eighth annual AARP Community Challenge grant program. More than one thousand projects have been funded since grant program began in 2017.

AARP’s nationwide Livable Communities initiative also provides resources and publications to encourage local action such as the Roadmap to Livability and the AARP book-series Where We Live: Communities for All Ages. To learn more about AARP’s livable communities work in communities across the country please visit www.aarp.org/livable.