We have been selected as a 2023 AARP Community Challenge Grantee!
Fort Wayne Trails, Inc. is thrilled to announce we have been selected to receive a 2023 AARP Community Challenge grant. We are one of only 310 grantees selected (out of 3,600+ applications!) from across all 50 states, Washington D.C, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
With this quick-action grant we will be partnering with the City of Fort Wayne and Stillwater Hospice to improve access from the public trail system to amenities on Stillwater Hospice’s campus. Stillwater has a 2-acre native prairie, a pond, and 3/4 mile of walking paths. The prairie contains 47 species of flowering plants and many species of animals, birds, and butterflies. The prairie includes a mulched path. The pond is located between the prairie and the Grief Center, and is encircled by a paved path. Not only is Stillwater’s campus a place of comfort and healing for people who use Stillwater’s services, it is also open to the public for community residents to enjoy, but many trail users were unaware of this fact, or unable to traverse the path connecting the public trail system to these amenities. This grant will allow the installation of curb ramps, signage and bike parking.
“We are incredibly proud that AARP selected Fort Wayne Trails, inc. for this investment to make Fort Wayne more livable for residents of all ages,” stated Megan McClellan, Executive Director of Fort Wayne Trails, Inc. “AARP is a nationwide leader in making communities more livable and we are honored that they see the tangible value this project will bring to our area.”
About the Community Challenge
The AARP Community Challenge grant program funds innovative, quick-action projects that inspire change in areas such as public places; housing; transportation; diversity, equity, and inclusion; digital connections; community resilience; and more.
This is all part of AARP’s nationwide work on livable communities, which supports the efforts of neighborhoods, towns, cities and counties across the country to become great places for all. AARP believes that communities should provide safe, walkable streets; affordable and accessible housing and transportation options; access to needed services; and opportunities for residents to participate in community life.
To learn more about the projects being funded by the AARP Community Challenge across the nation, including all 310 granted projects this year, visit aarp.org/CommunityChallenge. You can also view an interactive map of all Community Challenge projects and AARP’s Livable Communities work at aarp.org/livable.