Five Wyoming communities have received a total of $60,000 in AARP Community Challenge Grant funds to support various projects that help communities become more livable. It’s done by improving public spaces, transportation, housing, and civic engagement. These funds will help with projects in Laramie, Cheyenne, Dubois, Thayne, and Sheridan.
“We call them quick action grants, so it's something that doesn't take years of planning. It's usually in that $10 to $20,000 range that gets a project kind of over the finish line,” said Tom Lacock, Associate State Director for Communications and Advocacy for AARP Wyoming. “AARP is a membership organization for those aged 50 and over. In Wyoming, that gives us 83,000 members around the state…we've got kind of a number of priorities for this particular grant cycle, including capacity micro-grants, things like one-on-one coaching, sort of the train the trainer model, things like that.”
Lacock said transportation is a major focus of AARP grants, which includes monies to help places such as senior centers to offer transportation to medical appointments or in providing access to other services.
Age-Friendly Laramie has received $14,846 to convert a donated bus into an accessible greenhouse to establish a community garden. It will help pay for a wheelchair ramp for entry in and out of the bus and by converting the bus itself into an installation art piece by decorating its exterior with tiles. Age-Friendly Laramie is also working with the Eppson Center for Seniors in Laramie to develop a community garden on the Eppson Center’s grounds. A 16-passenger bus was donated to the community garden project in 2022.
Mountain Grace Church of Dubois received $15,000 for a project that’s aimed at helping those age 50 and over to maintain their homes with improvements and assistance. The funds will also help with the men’s ministry that has 16 members that help older adults with a variety of tasks, including cutting and delivering firewood and snow removal.
The Thayne Senior Center received $10,000 to provide transportation for older adults to access medical services and appointments outside of the Star Valley. This includes transportation to Jackson, Idaho Falls, and Salt Lake City. The senior center will also work with a local transportation company to provide these services. The Wyoming Military Department and Veterans Administration has been working with a local company to transport eligible veterans to medical appointments.
Cheyenne’s trishaw rides program is expanding to Laramie and received a $15,000 grant to help with the Miles of Smiles program. A trishaw is a large, specially built, electric tricycle designed for the mobility-impaired and operated by a trained driver. Miles of Smiles began as a no-cost service in Cheyenne after another AARP grant allowed for the purchase of a trishaw in 2022.
Holy Name Catholic Church in Sheridan received $7,280 to offer workshops that prepare people to be caregivers and to partner with experienced caregivers to provide one-on-one support. Training sessions include topics for caregivers such as financial planning, safety and home accessibility, end-of-life decisions, legal considerations, and home healthcare basics.
According to AARP, all projects must be consistent with their mission of helping those 50 and over, along with other eligibility criteria. The organization prioritized proposals that “are inclusive, address disparities, and directly engage volunteers age 50 and older.” Community Challenge grants are open nonprofit organizations as well as state and government entities that serve AARP’s demographic.
Since 2017, AARP has allocated over $12.7 million to over 1,060 projects nationwide, including 15 in Wyoming.
