AARP announced that Friends of the Northern Rail Trail — Lebanon has been selected to receive a 2022 AARP Community Challenge grant, one of four grantees chosen statewide.
The grant funds an electric rickshaw that will connect seniors with volunteer cyclists who will provide rides on the rail trail and around town. This will be done in partnership with Friends of Lebanon Parks and Recreation that will be instrumental in making the Cycling Without Age Program operational in Lebanon by providing use of a shed on city property, taking ownership of the rickshaw, and assisting with the training of volunteers and program scheduling.
“Friends of the Northern Rail Trail is very grateful to AARP for sponsoring our Cycling Without Age Program enabling those seniors, who otherwise wouldn’t be able, to experience all the joys our rail trail has to offer,” said Lindy Heim, FNRT co-president.
This project is part of the largest group of grantees to date with $3.4 million awarded among 260 organizations nationwide. Grantees will implement quick-action projects that help communities become more livable in the long-term by improving public places; transportation; housing; diversity, equity and inclusion; digital access; and civic engagement, with an emphasis on the needs of adults age 50 and over.
With this grantee class, AARP is bolstering its investment of affordable and adaptable housing solutions in response to the national housing crisis. With additional funding support from Toyota Motor North America, the program is also increasing its support of projects that improve mobility innovation and transportation options.
All projects are expected to be completed by November 30, 2022, and are designed to achieve one or more of the following outcomes:
• Create vibrant public places by improving open spaces and parks and activating main streets.
• Deliver a range of transportation and mobility options by increasing connectivity, walkability, bikeability, wayfinding, and access a wider range of transportation choices.
• Encourage the availability of a range of housing by increasing accessible and affordable housing solutions.
• Ensure a focus on diversity and inclusion while improving the built and social environment of a community.
• Support communities’ efforts to build engagement and leverage funding available under new federal programs through laws including the American Rescue Plan Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and more
• Increase Civic Engagement with innovative and tangible projects that bring residents and local leaders together to address challenges and facilitate a greater sense of inclusion.
• Other community improvements, including Health Services, Community Development, and Coronavirus Pandemic Recovery.
“We are incredibly excited to support Friends of the Northern Rail Trail as they work to make immediate improvements, encourage promising ideas and jumpstart long-term change in their community,” shared AARP New Hampshire Interim State Director Erin Mitchell. “Our goal at AARP New Hampshire is to support the efforts of our communities to be great places for people of all backgrounds, ages and abilities.”
Other Granite State grantees include the Town of Newport, Friends of Constitution Park Ossipee, and the Hillsborough Community Center. The full list of grantees can be found at www.aarp.org/communitychallenge.
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 New Hampshire has awarded 14 grants and $120,000 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.