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Kansas Community Focuses on Livability

A new volunteer council in Winfield aims to eventually help the city join the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities

David Lewellen,

AARP

Published May 01, 2026

Getty Images

Sheryl Erickson, 68, has long enjoyed participating in AARP’s online events and reading its national publications, but she wondered if there was a way to bring the organization’s activities and resources closer to home.

People often know about AARP on the national level but are not always aware of its work in local communities, says the resident of Winfield, a city of nearly 12,000 located about 50 miles south of Wichita.

When Winfield received a $15,000 AARP Community Challenge grant last year to install flashing lights and push buttons at two busy downtown crosswalks, Erickson saw an opportunity. At the public celebration of the project in December, she invited members of community groups to explore the possibility of creating a local AARP council.

The first meeting in February brought together people from the public library, the local arts and humanities council, the community college in nearby Arkansas City, the state agricultural extension office and others. The goal: explore ways to improve the quality of life for residents of all ages.

“We see more and more aging in place, or seniors choosing Winfield as a retirement destination,” says Taggart Wall, Winfield’s city manager. To keep a small town vibrant, Wall says, “The focus has to be on creating that sense of place, being able to reinvent your downtown and your parks and your programs.”

Edith Gaines, AARP Kansas’ associate director of community outreach, says that the Winfield council is only the third in the state, along with Topeka and Wichita. While the council is still working on getting organized, Erickson’s long-term aim is to help Winfield join the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities.

“I hope this will bring additional resources to the community,” she says.