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Grants Boost Safety, Livability

Community Challenge seeks to keep older adults engaged and active.

Stacey Shepard,

AARP

Published November 01, 2026

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At St. George Village Botanical Garden on the island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, visitors can wander among tropical plants and centuries-old ruins. But in a warm and humid climate, sometimes the most welcome attraction is simply a cool, breezy place to sit.

That’s the idea behind a $15,000 AARP Community Challenge grant that is transforming a hurricane-damaged picnic pergola into a shaded, accessible gathering place where visitors can rest while still enjoying the garden.

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“Accessibility is not just about getting through the garden. It is about being able to enjoy it,” says the garden’s executive director, Sarah Brady. “A visitor should be able to sit comfortably with a friend, have a conversation, watch children explore or simply appreciate the plants and historic landscape without feeling rushed because there is nowhere comfortable to rest.”

The structure was damaged when Hurricane Maria devastated St. Croix in 2017. Once workers removed the old shade covering, they also discovered termite-damaged wood, Brady says.

The project will replace the damaged wood and install a water-resistant covering to provide protection from the sun and rain, a ceiling fan to improve airflow, and new outdoor seating.

From the area, visitors can see a manager’s house that dates to the 1830s, when the grounds were a Danish sugar plantation. The 16-acre botanical garden, founded in 1972, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and highlights the island’s botanical, agricultural and cultural history.

“Our hope is that the revitalized pergola becomes a natural gathering point — a place where people stop not because they have to, but because they want to stay awhile,” Brady says.

The project is one of about 750 funded nationwide as the AARP Community Challenge celebrates its 10th anniversary. AARP invested a record $8.3 million this year in projects addressing issues such as public spaces, housing, transportation, digital connectivity and disaster resilience. (For more, see aarp.org/communitychallenge.)

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“What makes the AARP Community Challenge so powerful is that even a relatively modest grant can spark meaningful change,” says Troy de Chabert-Schuster, AARP Virgin Islands state director.

Other grant recipients in the Southeast include:

Arkansas: IAP Ministries in West Memphis received a $2,500 grant to help older adults make homes safer as they age. Using the AARP HomeFit Guide, the organization is teaching residents about simple home modifications and has partnered with local stores to offer discounts on safety products, such as bathroom grab bars.

Louisiana: In New Orleans, Common Ground Relief received $15,000 to provide 150 older adults with hurricane preparedness boxes. Each box includes a three-day supply of food and water, a solar-powered flashlight and other supplies to help older adults stay safer at home before, during and after severe storms.

Alabama: The city of Montgomery is using a $15,000 grant to help fund a project that includes building a new accessible riverfront stage for live music and events, including new seating, lighting and additional landscaping to increase shade for visitors.

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Stacey Shepard writes about health care, the environment, livability, fraud and other issues. She has written for the Bulletin since 2024.

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