2023 AARP Community Challenge Grantee

Age Friendly Olmsted County at Family Service Rochester has been selected to receive a 2023 AARP Community Challenge grant. They 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, Age Friendly Olmsted County will conduct a walk audit in the Slatterly Park neighborhood in Rochester, MN early in early September.

“We are incredibly proud that AARP selected Age Friendly Olmsted County for this investment to make Rochester more livable for residents of all ages,” said Dave Beal, Age Friendly Olmsted County Coordinator at Family Service Rochester. “AARP is a nationwide leader in making communities more livable. We are honored that they see the tangible value this project will bring to our area. We will have more information about the walk audit project later this summer.”

Age Friendly Olmsted County was awarded one of 30 new “capacity-building grants” to implement a walk audit to assess and enhance the safety and walkability of a street or neighborhood.

These grants come with support from America Walks, a leading national nonprofit that advances safe, equitable, accessible, and enjoyable places to walk and move by giving people and communities the resources to effectively advocate for change.

Age-Friendly Olmsted County will conduct a walk audit in the Slatterly Park neighborhood in southeast Rochester on September 9.

The grant project partners include RNeighbors, the Slatterly Park Neighborhood Association, Rochester Community Development and Public Works Departments, AARP Minnesota, and Family Service Rochester.

“RNeighbors is delighted to be a partner in this AARP grant,’ said Rene Halasy, Executive Director of RNeighbors. “This opportunity to create a walking audit in the Slatterly Park neighborhood will not only highlight the pedestrian experience, but will also include positive assets and opportunities for change. It is our hope this experience will serve as a model program that other Rochester neighborhoods can utilize.”

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.

The AARP Community Challenge is a grant program to make tangible improvements in communities that jump-start long-term change. It 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.

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Media Contact:

Dave Beal

Age Friendly Olmsted County Coordinator

Family Service Rochester

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