AARP Connecticut is accepting applications for grants for community improvement projects across the state.

The "Livable Communities" program awards grants up to $5,000 for projects that can be completed quickly and benefit people of all ages.

Past projects include Thrive 55's pocket park, the bocce ball courts near the Riverfront Community Center, and an outdoor green space at Plainfield's Senior Center.

Nora Duncan, state director of AARP Connecticut said the grants can fund good ideas that bring many people joy as towns and cities tighten their belts.

"You might be sitting there in your community center, your library, your senior center, as a municipal employee, even a police department recently won, and think, 'Oh, we're never going to get this funded,'" said Duncan. "You see the grant opportunity, you apply, you get it funded, and the work is underway."

Projects must have a positive impact on local residents, and must meet one of the eight criteria for livability - from housing to social participation, to community and health services.

Applications are due by 5 p.m. on August 16. More information is online at AARP.org/CT.

The group sees anywhere from 50 to 75 applications, but Duncan said are disqualified for not being filled out properly.

She noted that people should pay attention to the details of the grant requirements, and remember what won't be considered.

In the program's seven year history, Duncan said she has some favorites.

"Starting a film festival that was open to people of all ages for one summer," said Duncan. "There's been a device lending library, so technology devices that people may want to test out before they buy them themselves to assist with being able to age in place. I mean, there's just so many."

Other favorites include projects to make trails more complete and accessible, or Simsbury's intergenerational art program and town-wide scavenger hunt.

Duncan said grant winners will be announced sometime in September, depending on how many applications they get.

Members of the League of Women Voters-Arkansas are collecting signatures to add a constitutional amendment to the November 2026 ballot.

The amendment would give voters a chance to approve or reject election laws passed by the legislature.

Bonnie Miller, president of the League of Women Voters-Arkansas and chair of the coalition Save AR Democracy, said lawmakers have been enacting restrictions since 2013, making it harder for the direct democracy process to work.

"We now have to read a ballot title out loud to somebody or watch them read the entire ballot title. We're not just talking about a sentence here. In some instances, this could be pages of text," Miller outlined. "We now have to see a photo ID, we have to tell them that petition fraud is a crime."

Arkansas lawmakers said the added measures would help prevent voter fraud. There have been five Arkansans convicted of election fraud over the past 20 years.

Earlier this year, the league filed a federal lawsuit attempting to strike down five bills passed by the legislature which it said are unconstitutional and restrict the work of canvassers. Miller pointed out if the amendment is passed in next year's election, any changes to voting laws must be approved by voters.

"It would keep them from being able to refer out amendments that would change the process," Miller explained. "It means that during (the) legislative session, if they pass any bills, that affects the process that those laws don't go into effect until they're on the ballot the following year. "

Volunteers with the "Ballot Measure for Ballot Measure" campaign must collect more than 90,000 signatures by July 3, 2026.

AARP Oregon has opened up nominations for its prestigious award for volunteerism.

For the Andrus Award for Community Service, the organization will select a person or couple, age 50 or older, performing services without pay in their communities.

Geneva Craig, a volunteer for AARP Oregon, won the award in 2019 for her work organizing educational sessions for her community around Medford in Southern Oregon. She said when she was a child, her mother taught her to volunteer by supporting their sick neighbors.

"There's no age group where you can say, 'Oh, I don't have a skill, I don't have a talent,'" Craig emphasized. "You have something to offer, if only to give some support and let somebody know you care."

Oregonians do a lot of volunteering. Data from 2023 show nearly 36% of Oregonians formally volunteered through organizations, about eight points higher than the national average.

Research shows volunteering helps counteract the effects of stress, anxiety and depression, while making people feel more connected and happier. Craig added it is important that volunteers inspire others.

"I'm happy because I'm seeing the rise in people who are stepping back out and offering to volunteer," Craig explained. "I tried to let them know, we're not going to work you to death, OK? This is teamwork."

The deadline for Andrus Award nominations is Sept. 1. The winner receives $1,000 to donate to a nonprofit of their choosing.

Minnesotans gathered at the state Capitol last night for a candlelight vigil for Rep. Melissa Hortman, D-Brooklyn Park, after she was assassinated early Saturday. People close to her hope her legacy inspires acts that benefit communities all over.

Following the shooting attack that left Hortman and her husband dead, the couple's adult children issued a statement urging residents to honor their parents' memory in a variety of ways. One of them is to plant a tree.

Anne-Marie Hendrickson, director of development of the nonprofit Tree Trust, said they accept donations to replant groups of trees in Twin Cities neighborhoods devastated by invasive species, and added the Hortmans' home city is a good fit.

"We do have a relationship with Brooklyn Park," she said. "So, you know, maybe it's all the funds raised, for instance, as a result of their deaths could be used to replant trees in a Brooklyn Park park. And volunteers would be engaged to come out and plant those trees."

Rep. Hortman's two decades in the Legislature, including several years as House Speaker, is being described as one of the more impactful careers at the State Capitol. Lawmakers from both major parties have noted her strong commitment to improving the lives of Minnesotans. The family statement concluded with a request for people "to do something, whether big or small," centered around community improvement.

Michael Nicklow, CEO of Let's Plant Trees, said they have plenty of volunteer opportunities, including memorial plantings.

"It's a beautiful thing to do to carry on that legacy, of course, and trees are a beautiful thing - not only for our generation but for future generations, mostly, " he said.

LeAnn Thiner, co-director of the Worthington Christian Church Food Shelf, said operations like hers could always use volunteers with aging staff members stepping down, and added that helping to ensure your neighbor has enough food to eat is an excellent way to show they're supported by their surrounding community, no matter the size of the volunteer job involved.

"Volunteering at a food shelf is a very rewarding thing to do," she explained. "The people come in here, and after you've gotten to know them for a while, they come and say, 'Hi, how are you doing?' They always say thank you."


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