Supporting Inclusion and Social Connections in Rural Communities

In 2023, as part of the community's work to develop an age-friendly action plan and various equity-related pilot programs (including one about universal basic income), the members of the Inclusive and Resilient Yellow Springs Coalition participated in justice, equity and diversity trainings and gathered information about the lived experience of exclusion. They looked at data, including the GINI index, a measure of economic inequality, and designed a community survey to ask residents questions about housing discrimination, the availability of activities for diverse populations, and people’s satisfaction with the community climate related to racism, diversity, equity and inclusion. 

Expressing Gratitude in Shawano, Wisconsin

On Thanksgiving of 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Matty Mathison, a trail and bicycle/pedestrian safety advocate in Shawano, Wisconsin, found herself sitting outside in 40-degree temperatures and visiting with her 95-year-old mother through a window.

Although the conditions of the visit were far from the norm, Mathison realized she had never enjoyed a better Thanksgiving.

Full of gratitude, she decided that her community needed a Grace Trail® (follow this link to learn more). Working with the nonprofit Shawano Pathways, she applied for and received an AARP Community Challenge grant, the local hospital provided funding for trail accessibility and an 11-year-old girl named Eve made the first donation for the Leopold benches placed at the trail’s five stations. In addition to a bench, each station has a boulder on which a Grace-inspired question, or meditation prompt, is displayed. (See the photo at top.)

• What am I Grateful for?
• What do I need to Release?
• What do I need to Accept?
• What is my next Challenge?
• What can I Embrace as possible?

Since 10 percent of Shawano’s residents are members of the Menominee tribe and another 7 percent are Hispanic, the main word at each station is presented in English, Spanish and Menominee. 

Quick-Tips for Inclusivity

1. Do Research — Then Ask Questions

Before launching a community survey, look at existing data, if there is any. Some places to start:

• Explore the AARP Livability Index to learn how the community compares with others.
  
  
• Check out the U.S Census Bureau. To get the data, enter the community name and state in order to find the community profile. For instance, here’s what comes up for Shawano, Wisconsin. To find data about older residents, click on the “Populations and People” filter and choose “Older Population” from the dropdown list. Here are those results.
  
  
• Examine the U.S. Census Bureau GINI Index, which measure of income equality. The index ranges from 0 to 1, with 0 indicating perfect income equality among all households in a community and 1 indicating complete inequality. The GINI index for the United States overall is 0.4817. (Use the filters under the “Geography” tab to learn about the GINI index for a specific state, county, or community.)

2. Build on Success

Shawano Pathways partnered with eight other organizations to develop a Born Learning Trail, a United Way curriculum that helps caregivers develop meaningful engagements with children through active learning. The project partnered with the Menominee Indian Language and Cultural Center to provide signs in Menominee as well as English. Seeing the excitement of the children when they saw their language on the trail signs sold the team on the importance of including multiple languages on future trail projects, such as the aforementioned Grace Trail.

3. Pursue Funding

The AARP Community Challenge has funded many innovative age-friendly projects that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in public spaces, transportation and housing.

Other sources of grant funding include community foundations as well as regional and local funders with an interest in aging and diversity.

For example, the Hannaford Foundation sponsored by Hannaford Supermarkets awarded $1.3 million to the Tri-State Learning Collaborative on Aging to address food insecurity and isolation in five northeast states, with an emphasis on programs that serve older people, especially LGBTQ+, indigenous people, and racial, ethnic, and cultural minorities. (Read about the CHEF Grant.)

To stay informed about grant opportunities, subscribe for free to the GrantStation Insider.

For small amounts of money, check with local civic organizations. The application process is often simpler and processed more quickly than those at large funding entities. National and local banks also make community grants. To find them, visit the bank’s website and look for sections or search results based on such terms as “grantmaking,” corporate responsibility,” “community giving,” “funding opportunities.”  

_{Patricia Oh, Ph.D., is a senior program manager at the University of Maine Center on Aging. She works closely with Maine's age-friendly and lifelong communities (LifelongMaine.org) and with the AARP Livable Communities team, supporting outreach to rural communities and municipalities that have joined the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities.} 

_{Page published January 2024}