Hundreds of Communities Aim to Improve Life for Older Adults with AARP Support

Older residents in Marion County, Ohio, often struggled to find transportation to and from hospitals for appointments and procedures. Specialty medical clinics were also out of range of local transit, leaving older adults without a ride unless friends or family were available.

​Cassie Gregory, director of the Marion County Council on Aging (MCCOA) thought her agency could do something about that. The organization partnered with the Marion Senior Center to arrange out-of-county rides to medical appointments using vans specially designed with extra space and lifts to support residents with mobility limitations. ​

Demand was immediate, going from four trips the first month to 50 trips last month, Gregory says. But costs for mileage, driver training and van upkeep added up. In May, MCCOA was awarded $15,000 through AARP’s Community Challenge grant program to help meet the medical transit needs of older residents in the north-central Ohio community. ​

MCCOA received one of 383 community grants totaling $4.2 million awarded this year through AARP’s Community Challenge, which provides millions of dollars to local nonprofits and government agencies. The money helps communities transform their neighborhoods into more accessible spaces to support healthy aging and independent living. ​

In Marion County, Gregory says the grants will fund several months of out-of-county medical trips at a cost of about $4,000 per month. ​

“When you have an appointment with a specialist that you’ve been waiting for, you can’t reschedule that,” Gregory says. “That is of utmost importance. So, this allows us to secure those rides.” ​

Since 2017, AARP’s community challenge program has invested $24.3 million in more than 2,000 livability projects in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Washington, D.C. ​

“We’re proud to support communities nationwide to advance solutions that make neighborhoods and towns of all sizes better places to live where everyone can thrive,” says Nancy LeaMond, AARP’s chief advocacy and engagement officer. “And this year, we’re particularly proud to invest in projects benefiting often overlooked rural areas.” ​

About 40 percent of the AARP Community Challenge projects have gone to rural communities. ​

Making neighborhoods stronger for everyone

Grants are divided into three categories: flagship grants for short- and long-term projects, capacity-building micro-grants coupled with coaching or training, and demonstration grants that offer flexible funding to build on successful past projects. ​