Celebrating the 10th year of its Community Challenge grant program Wednesday, the AARP announced $8.3 million in funding for 750 projects across the nation. Eight of those will support livability in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“Communities across the Virgin Islands are eager for solutions that boost mobility, connection, and quality of life,” AARP Virgin Islands State Director Troy De Chabert-Schuster said in a statement. “Thanks to Community Challenge grants, we’re empowering residents to implement impactful improvements that make a sizable difference.”
AARP’s Community Challenge has awarded more than $247,500 in grants to Virgin Islands nonprofits and government entities since 2017. This year, a total of $107,500 was awarded to organizations aiming to improve public spaces and enhance disaster preparedness — particularly for the territory’s aging population.
The VI Trail Alliance, Frederiksted’s Strategic Solutions Network, Eddie Ortiz Annual Three Kings Tradition Inc., the St. George Botanical Garden and the St. Croix Animal Welfare Center all received $15,000 grants to improve public spaces and safe walking trails on St. Croix. The Coral Bay Community Council also received $15,000 to host community meetings on hurricane preparedness, emergency planning, telehealth and storm mitigation, and Frederiksted’s Tradewind Foundation Corp. received $15,000 to provide adults 50 years old and older with computer tablet training meant to help with hurricane preparedness, emergency alerts and communication during power outages. The Zenaida Cranford Mentor Mentee Mentorship Program was awarded a $2,500 “microgrant” to distribute disaster preparedness kits to older Virgin Islanders.
During a livestreamed announcement Wednesday afternoon, AARP Livable Communities Director Mike Watson said this year’s disbursement was the organization’s largest to date. Chief Executive Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan said the Community Challenge began with the idea that “communities do not just need long-term plans.”
“They need the ability to act and to see progress now,” she said. “They need the resources to turn good ideas into real visible change, and that is exactly what this program has done since 2017.”
