AARP Awards Two U.S.V.I. Organizations With Community Challenge Grants

https://stcroixsource.com/2021/08/07/aarp-awards-two-u-s-v-i-organizations-with-community-grants

01/2022 UPDATE: The VI Trail Alliance used this funding to improve existing trails on the Windsor Farm Property in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture. We also collaborated with the NPS Cost Share program to build 3 miles of new trails. New picnic tables, benches, signage and maps improve the trail network and will become available for public use at the end of January.

On Aug. 6, AARP in The Virgin Islands announced that two V.I. organizations would receive 2021 Community Challenge grants – part of the largest group of grantees to date, with $3.2 million awarded among 244 organizations nationwide. Grantees will implement quick-action projects to promote livable communities by improving housing, transportation, public spaces, civic engagement and connection with family, friends and neighbors with an emphasis on the needs of the 50-plus. Many of this year’s awards support revitalizing communities adversely impacted by the pandemic and include a focus on diversity, inclusion and disparities.

“We are incredibly proud to collaborate with these organizations as they work to make immediate improvements in their communities, encourage promising ideas and jumpstart long-term change, especially for those age 50 and over,” said Troy de Chabert-Schuster, AARP-VI state director. “Our goal at AARP in The Virgin Islands is to support the efforts of our communities to be great places for people of all backgrounds, ages and abilities.”

The VI Trail Alliance Inc. Funds from the grant for this project will be used to create walking and hiking trails, installing signs and maps, and improve seating and parking options near the trails.

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 2019, AARP in The Virgin Islands has awarded four grants and $63,500 through the program to nonprofit organizations and government entities across the territory.

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.