AARP announced over $60,000 in grant funding for five projects around Wyoming through its Community Challenge Grants, today. Grant funds will support projects in Laramie, Dubois, Cheyenne, Thayne, and Sheridan.
Community Challenge Grants fund quick-action projects that help communities become more livable in the long-term by improving public spaces, transportation, housing, civic engagement, diversity and inclusion, and more. Now in its seventh year, the 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 all residents, especially those age 50 and older.
The 2023 Community Challenge Winners
Age-Friendly Laramie will receive $14,846 to convert a donated bus into an accessible greenhouse to establish a community garden. The grant will help pay for installing a wheelchair ramp leading into the bus and convert the bus into an installation art piece by decorating its exterior with tiles. Age-Friendly Laramie is working in conjunction with the Eppson Center for Seniors in Laramie to develop a community vegetable garden on the grounds of the Eppson Center. In spring 2022, Age-Friendly Laramie began construction of seven garden beds on an unused plot of Center grounds. A gardening club was established at the Eppson Center and members planted, maintained and harvested crops.
In 2022, a 16-seat bus was donated to the community garden project. This project will strip the bus of its interior seating and its engine/transmission, thanks to donated help from WyoTech. The bus will then be converted into an accessible greenhouse and storage unit for use by the garden group. A wheelchair ramp will lead into the bus, which will also have shelves to grow plants to be transplanted into the beds.
Mountain Grace Church of Dubois will be granted $15,000 for its project aimed at helping those age 50 and over maintain their homes with improvements and assistance. Dubois is a beautiful and isolated community in northwest Wyoming with a population of 934 and a median age of 58. Dubois is 72 miles from Riverton and 75 miles away from Jackson, the two next closest communities with more than 1,000 people, meaning senior services options may be somewhat limited.
The men’s ministry at Grace Church – 16 strong – is offering to help older adults in town with everything from cutting and delivering firewood to to snow removal. The grant funds will go towards equipment and trailer purchase to kick off the effort and keep it going. This effort is especially important given the average cost of nursing homes through Medicaid in Wyoming is around $6,000 per person, per month and $91,000 per year for nursing home care paid for privately.
The Thayne Senior Center will receive $10,000 to provide transportation for older adults to medical appointments outside of the Star Valley area. Given Star Valley’s isolation from larger communities with more specialized health care availability, The Thayne Senior Center will work with a local transportation company to transport older adults to appointments in Jackson, Idaho Falls, and Salt Lake City.
Currently a local company has been working with The Wyoming Military Department and the Veterans Administration as a part of the Highly Rural Transportation program to provide transportation to eligible veterans to medical appointments. AARP’s grant will allow this vendor to take any older adult to medical appointments, not just veterans.
The Senior Center and local vendor will advertise options for older adult transportation through flyers, radio, and social media to let residents know there will be transportation for older adults who need transportation to medical appointments. Organizers will attempt to engage volunteers over the course of the project and all volunteers will be reimbursed at the same rate as the Veterans Administration Highly Rural Transportation program.
Cheyenne’s popular trishaw rides program will be expanding to Laramie thanks to a $15,000 grant for the Miles of Smiles program. The result is free trishaw rides will soon be available in Laramie. A trishaw is a large, specially built, electric-assisted tricycle designed for mobility impaired folks. It is powered by a trained “pilot” so the passenger can enjoy the riding and conversation in a safe and comfortable passenger seat.
In 2022, Miles of Smiles, began offering this no-cost service in Cheyenne thanks to AARP Wyoming purchasing a trishaw for this community.While the trishaws are battery supported, the pedal power and good company is provided by fully trained and insured pilots, most frequently older adults themselves. With the $15,000 grant funding, the trishaw, insurance, and related tools will allow adults in Laramie to safely and securely experience the wind in their hair and the sun on their faces, on slow and enjoyable rides.
Holy Name Catholic Church of Sheridan will receive $7,280 in grant funding to offer workshops that prepare people to be caregivers and partnering with trained and experienced caregivers to provide one-on-one support.
Each workshop will include a story or testimony from a current or former caregiver about a personal experience related to the specific topic and information from a professional in that field. Additionally, the participants will receive books and other AARP resources to help them prepare to be caregivers or support them in their current caregiving role. The church will also provide volunteer-staffed respite care for accompanying loved ones so caregivers can attend the sessions. The topics will include: financial planning, safety and home accessibility, end-of-life decisions, legal considerations, home healthcare basics and more. AARP Wyoming State President Stella Montano, a long-time Sheridan resident and passionate caregiving champion, is working closely with the Church to launch this program.