The Difference We Make: Alaska’s Older Athletes Find Community, Connection on the Bocce Court

An AARP grant expanded opportunities for Special Olympics bocce players to stay active

Molly Snow,

AARP

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Published August 29, 2025

AARP

Debbie Rauh, 51, is a gold medalist.

Her sport? One of the oldest in history, predating even the Romans: bocce.

Rauh, who lives in Alaska’s picturesque capital city of Anchorage, is now part of that history. She plays with Special Olympics Alaska, whose bocce teams have competed in local and state tournaments. And she’s always going for gold.

“I love winning bocce matches,” Rauh says.

The sense of fierce but friendly competition, joy and pride that bocce brings has been contagious for all players. But as interest grew, Special Olympics officials in Anchorage realized they needed more space to accommodate those from around the state who traveled to use the facilities.

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In 2023, the organization looked for funding to expand its sports and fitness facility and provide new recreational and social opportunities for older adults with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities.

That same year, AARP awarded a $10,000 Community Challenge grant to Special Olympics Alaska to build three new bocce courts and install water refill stations inside the gymnasium, which is also used by local senior walking clubs. This investment created more opportunities for Special Olympics athletes statewide to practice and compete.

“We went from only advancing [about] 20 to 22 bocce teams from across the whole state ... to 40 teams,” says Sarah Arts, CEO and president of Special Olympics Alaska. “If we didn’t have those courts, we wouldn’t have that opportunity.”

It was one of hundreds of quick-action projects sponsored and funded by AARP, which awarded some $3.6 million in 2023 to help communities in all 50 states. AARP has been awarding Community Challenge grants annually since 2017.

The projects AARP chooses to support help urban, rural and suburban communities make immediate improvements and jump-start long-term progress to support residents of all ages.

When asked about the new courts, Rauh summed up the new additions succinctly: “pretty cool.”

An opportunity for connection

Rauh, who has a disability, has been honing her skills for a lifetime. She first joined the Special Olympics in 1982, when she was just 8 years old. Today, her involvement in the sport helps keep the arthritis in her hips, back and leg at bay and has led to friendships forged through practice and competition with teammates.

“I got involved through my elementary school and have been involved ever since,” she says.

Arts said supporting the unique needs of older adults with disabilities goes beyond just providing opportunities to stay active; it’s also about forging relationships that combat isolation — another key measure of well-being in aging.

Alaska has the fastest-growing older population per capita in the nation, and the number of Alaskans 65 and older has increased by nearly 70 percent since 2011.

The pandemic sharply increased isolation among older adults. Arts said many local athletes who were older or had disabilities were among the first to lose their jobs during that period. Opportunities for in-person connection quickly disappeared.

By the time they were able to reopen their senior program, Arts and her team were looking to rebuild those in-person connections.

If anything was likely to bring people back together, it was bocce.

The AARP grant helped expand capacity for bocce games and enabled more opportunities to build relationships between players, coaches and mentors.

Special Olympics athletes often become lifetime participants, taking up bowling, bocce and walking clubs as they’ve aged, says Arts. It’s emblematic of the fact that creating resources and programs for individuals with intellectual disabilities supports quality of life.

“Athletes that have been involved in the movement for 50 years are still around,” Arts says.

Teresa Holt, state director of AARP Alaska, says the project was a shining example of how strong local partnerships can bring positive change in creative ways.

“We love being part of projects like these, which bring people together and promote healthy living for all by building fun, inclusive and accessible community spaces,” she says.

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Molly Snow is a writer for AARP covering advocacy issues and state news. She also writes AARP's Today's Tips podcast. She previously worked at other news outlets, including Federal Times, McClatchy and Gannett.