Six Idaho Organizations Awarded AARP Community Grants as Part of Successful Nationwide Program

AARP Idaho has announced six Gem State organizations will receive 2021 Community Challenge grants – part of the largest group of grantees to date with $3.2 million awarded among 244 organizations nationwide. Grantees will implement quick-action projects to promote livable communities by improving housing, transportation, public spaces, civic engagement, and connection with family, friends, and neighbors with an emphasis on the needs of the 50-plus. Many of this year’s awards support revitalizing communities adversely impacted by the pandemic and include a focus on diversity, inclusion, and disparities.

“We are incredibly proud to collaborate with these organizations as they work to make immediate improvements in their communities, encourage promising ideas and jumpstart long-term change, especially for those age 50 and over,” shared AARP Idaho state director, Lupe Wissel. “Our goal is to support the efforts of our communities to be great places for people of all backgrounds, ages and abilities.”

All projects are expected to be completed by November 10, 2021 and include:

Ada County - Ada County Highway District Commuteride, $35,000

• This project will create Commuteride’s Workplace Mobility Grant Pilot Program. It is designed to provide grants to small businesses to fund facility or mobility enhancements with the goal of expanded access to transportation options for employees. Examples of eligible expenses include bike racks, repair stands, lockers, carpool parking signage, transit passes, employee bike-share bikes, and breakroom amenities.
  

Blaine County - The Senior Connection, $11,000

• The Senior Connection and the Sawtooth Botanical Garden are partnering to plant 10,000 daffodil bulbs in the fall of 2021. These will bloom in the spring of 2022, kicking off the 1st annual Wood River Valley Daffodil Festival designed to bring the community together celebrating the arrival of spring. This event is planned to expand and will eventually boost the local tourist economy during a traditionally slower season.
  

Pocatello - Growling Garden, $3,333

• Families will receive a raised-bed garden, soil, seeds, and plants to make a successful food-producing vegetable and herb garden. The community garden program focuses on building backyard gardens for families with low incomes.

Hidden Springs - Hidden Springs Town Association, $15,000

• The creation of an all-weather trail for the community and greater Treasure Valley will provide an outdoor recreational option for all ages along scenic Dry Creek riparian trails, a community farm and agricultural fields. The easement will benefit residents and the public by continued preservation of natural and wildlife areas and regional trails.
  

Lincoln County - Lincoln County Youth Commission, $5,000

• The “Lincoln Loop” will provide a comfortable and accessible walking track in a climate-controlled environment at the new Lincoln County Youth Center. A wide hallway circling the largest room in the facility will be resurfaced as an indoor track. The surface will allow users  to walk in comfort and safety throughout the day.

Potlatch - Washington, Idaho and Montana Railway History Preservation Group, $3,600

• A historic Annex building will be renovated and updated to offer speeder and rail cycle rides to the public. "Over the rail" activities are designed to grow attendance, increase historical knowledge and instill community pride. In recent years, the Annex became a maintenance facility for rail cars and locomotives. The funds will transform the Annex into a new maintenance facility for both motorized speeders and for recumbent rail cycles so activities can be offered throughout the year.

The Community Challenge grant program is part of AARP’s nationwide Livable Communities initiative, which supports the efforts of cities, towns, neighborhoods and rural areas to become great places to live for people of all ages. Since 2017, AARP Idaho has awarded 17 grants and more than $171,000 through the program to nonprofit organizations and government entities across the state.

View the full list of grantees and their project descriptions at www.aarp.org/communitychallenge and learn more about AARP’s livable communities work at www.aarp.org/livable.