A relatively small amount of money can go a long way toward helping seniors in Maryland and across the country live better lives.

AARP's Community Challenge grant program funds projects proposed by nonprofits and other community groups to inspire change and improve livability.

Jennifer Holz, associate state director of outreach for AARP Maryland, said five projects received Community Challenge grants this year, totaling almost $55,000. She pointed out the projects range from infrastructure improvements to community gardens, to broadband access.

"The AARP Community Challenge focuses on tangible installations, community engagement and quick-action timelines," Holz outlined. "To help grantees actually fast-track their ideas and replicate promising practices."

Projects include a community garden in a Germantown hospital, a safe park space for seniors in Fredrick, a CyberMasters program in Gaithersburg to teach digital communications skills to older learners, free solar-power Wi-Fi and charging stations for a senior home in Baltimore, and a HarvestShare program in Potomac to help seniors raise fresh produce.

At the national level, AARP has operated the Community Challenge Program since 2017 as a part of its Livable Communities initiative. Over the past eight years, AARP has invested just over $20 million in these projects, with more than 1,700 grants to make communities more livable, for people of all ages. Holz noted 2024 was the biggest year yet.

"We're now in our eighth year," Holz explained. "AARP is announcing the largest number of Community Challenge grants to date, and awarding more than $3.8 million among 343 grantees, across all 50 states."

Holz added the grant program would not work without the imagination and innovation of groups seeking to improve their communities.

"We've seen some really, really great projects that have actually inspired long-term change," Holz observed. "Because they've been able to pilot some of the things that they've been trying to do in terms of expansion at their nonprofit or their agency."

The city of La Crosse is hoping a new online design library of Accessory Dwelling Units will help inspire residents to build one.

The units have been touted as a possible solution to housing shortages. After the city was awarded nearly $20,000 last year through AARP Wisconsin's Community Challenge, it asked residents to submit designs to show the community what is possible in their own backyards.

Lewis Coleman, environmental and sustainability planner for the city of La Crosse, said the secondary housing units can be attached to, or separate from, the main house.

"The top three ADU designs that we picked were based on affordability, accessibility, and sustainability," Coleman outlined. "We wanted to make sure that these were residences that were in reach from a cost perspective."

The three finalists were selected from 26 submissions and were each awarded $3,000. Coleman pointed out what is left of the grant money will potentially be used to make the winning concepts into ready-to-build plans.

The city faces a potential landlock because of the Mississippi River, steep slopes and adjacent jurisdictions. In addition to seeing Accessory Dwelling Units as a way to increase homes, Coleman noted they can offer financial support for homeowners who rent them out. They can also provide multigenerational housing for parents of children with disabilities or children who want to live near their aging parents.

Coleman acknowledged there are some downfalls, especially in light of rising construction costs.

"In some cases, it could cost as much as a house, as a full size house," Coleman emphasized. "That's still a challenge. And one of the things we're looking at is working with our local lenders to put together financial packages that could make it easier for homeowners to add this to their backyard."

Other past AARP grant-supported projects in Wisconsin include dementia-friendly parks, medicinal plant gardens, senior and veteran home programs and rural community enhancements. The nationwide initiative serves to support improvements that meet long-standing and emerging challenges in communities.

Wisconsin residents can submit an application for this year's AARP Community Challenge until March 5.


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Valentine's Day is this Friday and AARP Arizona wants to caution Arizonans to be careful with who they are talking to online.

The National Retail Federation estimated more than 50% of consumers will spend more than $27 billion on the holiday.

Dawn Alexander, communications analyst for AARP Arizona, does not want people to fall victim to "romance scams." She explained the scams start online through social media or dating apps. Scammers often target people who have gone through some sort of hardship and are in search of companionship.

"The problem is that once you engage with them, then it is going to move really, really fast," Alexander pointed out. "The red flags are you never want to give money to people, they're going to tell you that they're in the states and that they need help, they're going to tell you how much they want to be with you and how much they love you. They won't stop until you're able to give them money."

Alexander acknowledged many times, people feel embarrassed and shameful once they realize they have fallen victim to a romance scam. But she added it is important to report incidents to local authorities, because if it goes unreported, law enforcement officers and policymakers will not know it is a problem. She advised if you're in doubt about a situation give the free AARP Fraud Watch Network a call at 877-908-3360.

Alexander considers technology a blessing and a curse. She noted while the internet, social media and now artificial intelligence have all facilitated connecting with others, there are bad actors out there taking advantage of it.

"These scammers are reaching out to people and using it to a disadvantage on people and really taking advantage of their weaknesses," Alexander emphasized.

It is also tax season, and people have started to receive fraudulent text messages claiming they are eligible for a $1,400 stimulus check. Alexander said the text messages normally include a link that looks like the IRS website but clicking on it could put your personal and financial information at risk.

"You know your instinct is curiosity," Alexander observed. "Curiosity killed the cat, you want to know what that said, but if you don't know who that is, don't open those. Because if you click on that link you're going to become very susceptible to a scam."

Advocates for family caregivers are expecting federal lawmakers to propose a tax credit for the group, after President Donald Trump said on the campaign trail that he'd support one.

Wyoming caregivers can learn more at a webinar on Wednesday.

Wyoming's 58,000 caregivers in 2023 provided 54 million hours of unpaid family care, according to AARP Wyoming.

State Director Sam Shumway said the group has been working to get a form of financial help to caregivers for years.

"As they're struggling to hold down a job, take care of families and be a caregiver," said Shumway, "there may be some financial reprieve for them in the form of this Credit for Caring Act."

The 2024 Credit for Caring Act, which died in committee, would have given caregivers tax credits of up to $5,000 for 30 percent of the cost of long-term care expenses exceeding $2,000.

Shumway said he expects that a 2025 version will be introduced soon.

Details and registration for the February 12 webinar are available on the AARP Wyoming Facebook page.

According to AARP, caregivers on average spend more than $7,200 per year on expenses related to that care.

Shumway said he was "encouraged" by Trump's show of support and is optimistic that Wyoming's all-Republican delegation will follow suit.

"We feel like that right now we have a window of opportunity to work with our congressional delegation, particularly here in Wyoming," said Shumway, "to help them understand the importance of this for Wyomingites."

Unpaid Wyoming caregivers provided about $910 million in economic value in 2023, according to AARP Wyoming.