AARP awards grants to 2 Pine Belt organizations
PINE BELT, Miss. (WDAM) - AARP Mississippi announced that four Mississippi organizations will receive 2022 Community Challenge grants - two of which are located in the Pine Belt.
According to AARP, they are 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.
“AARP Mississippi is committed to working with communities to improve residents’ quality of life through tangible changes,” said AARP Mississippi State Director Kimberly L. Campbell Esq. “We are proud to collaborate with this year’s grantees as they make immediate improvements in their communities to jumpstart long-term change, especially for Mississippians 50 and over.”
The two Pine Belt organizations include the Hattiesburg Landmark Preservation and the Waynesboro-Wayne County Library.
The grant is expected to help Hattiesburg Landmark Preservation improve a park/playground at the Thames Elementary School. The project includes updating a basketball court, adding four age-friendly benches at a walking track and creating two murals.
The grant will help the Waynesboro-Wayne County Library purchase 11 GrandPads, a tablet designed for older adults. The devices will then be used in computer classes and available to check out, just like books. A special staff member will provide tech support.
The other two Mississippi organizations that will receive funding include the Jackson Heart Foundation – Museum Trail and Noxubee County Historical Society.
AARP Community Challenge grant projects will be funded in all 50 states; Washington, D.C.; Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The projects must be completed by November 30, 2022.
The 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 Mississippi has awarded 11 grants through the program to nonprofit organizations and government entities across the state.
To view the full list of grantees and their project descriptions, click HERE.
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