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July 3, 2025
SAN ANTONIO – Two local nonprofits were selected as grant recipients from an AARP Community Challenge, each tackling projects aimed at serving older adults and the broader community.
AARP sought projects that could specifically benefit those aged 50 and older, according to an AARP website describing the challenge.
Since the community challenge debuted in 2017, it has invested over $24.3 million in more than 2,000 projects, according to the website.
Gardopia Gardens and ActivateSA, the recipients of the two grants, will separately utilize funding for a community garden and crosswalk art installations, respectively.
Community garden at Ella Austin Community Center
Gardopia Gardens CEO Stephen Lucke said the East Side nonprofit selected the Ella Austin Community Center through a “longstanding partnership” with youth after-school and summer programs at the site.
“We’re super excited to be sowing the seed of this partnership, it will help us continue to grow our mission of a healthy and sustainable community,” Lucke said in an email to KSAT.
Lucke said San Antonio’s Department of Human Services helped to choose the center due to a “growing interest in starting a community garden.”
“Water is accessible, and it serves multi-generational populations, which is part of the grant,” Lucke said.
The garden is planned to launch, according to Lucke, in early September, with a volunteer build day scheduled for Friday, Sept. 5.
Beacon Hill sidewalk art installation
ActivateSA will use its funding to install two sidewalk art installations across the Beacon Hill neighborhood on the city’s North Side.
- Blanco Road and Magnolia Avenue; a “neighborhood transit connector,” Pawlik said, and near apartments serving older adults and those with disabilities.
- Blanco Road and Elsmere Place; described by the nonprofit as the heart of Beacon Hill’s dining and retail services.
An AARP news release said the funding for this grant was made possible with support from Toyota Motor North America.
The project will be handled in conjunction with several city departments, including Public Works, Transportation and Arts & Culture, according to ActivateSA Executive Director Joey Pawlik.
“This project also supports many of the goals of the City’s Complete Streets and Vision Zero policies, as well as efforts such as Quick Build Infrastructure,” Pawlik said.
ActivateSA was one of several local groups that helped lead policy updates for Complete Streets and the updated Bike Network Plan.
AARP’s release does not mention the exact amount of funding each nonprofit received. Neither Lucke nor Pawlik responded to emails seeking information about the funding specifics.
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Felicia Ray Owens
Felicia Ray Owens is a media founder, cultural strategist, and civic advocate who creates platforms where power meets lived truth. As the voice behind C4: Coffee. Cocktails. Culture. Conversation and the founder of FROUSA Media, she uses storytelling, public dialogue, and organizing to spotlight the issues that matter most—locally and nationally.
A longtime advocate for community wellness and political engagement, Felicia brings experience as a former Precinct Chair and former Chief Communications Officer of Indivisible Hill Country. Her work bridges culture, activism, and healing through curated spaces designed to inspire real change.
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