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AARP Invests $237,500 in Quick-Action Projects to Make NY Communities More Livable for All Ages

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Grants aims to help residents of all ages, especially older adults, improve how they live, move, and stay connected in their neighborhoods through innovative local projects

NEW YORK, June 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — AARP today announced 23 organizations throughout New York will receive 2026 Community Challenge grants. Marking the program’s 10th anniversary, the grants are part of an $8.3 million commitment by AARP, doubling last year’s total, to fund 750 quick-action projects nationwide aimed at making communities more livable for people of all ages, especially older adults. The funds will support improvements to public spaces, transportation, housing, digital connectivity, disaster preparedness, and other local priorities that help improve social connections and strengthen neighborhoods and towns of all sizes.

“Communities across New York are eager for solutions that boost mobility, connection, and quality of life,” said AARP New York State Director Beth Finkel. “Thanks to Community Challenge grants, we’re empowering residents to make a sizeable difference. This program helps local leaders turn practical ideas into action to create visible improvements to strengthen communities for all ages.”

Since 2017, AARP has awarded nearly $1 million through 87 Community Challenge grants supporting projects across New York. Grant projects will be funded in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Projects across New York reflect growing demand for practical, local solutions that help residents stay connected, safe and independent, including:

Adirondacks/Capital Region

Capital Streets, Watervliet: $15,000 for signage, paint and other traffic calming measures to address speeding and confusing crossings at a dangerous high-traffic roadway.City of Mechanicville: $15,000 to install ADA-compliant pedestrian signals and crossings between housing for older adults and a local grocery store. These changes will create a direct, safer walking route and reduce reliance on transit for short trips.Southern Saratoga YMCA: $2,500 to create educational sessions to teach residents how to make homes safer and more accessible.Town of Johnsburg: $2,500 for walk audits to align with town infrastructure and beautification projects; $15,000 to expand its HomeFit pilot into a continuing program that provides small home safety improvements for residents age 50-plus.Tupper Lake Public Library: $15,000 to transform its community room into a safer, more accessible, and inviting space for residents age 50-plus.

Central New York/Finger Lakes

Access To Independence of Cortland County: $2,500 to conduct walk audits to examine connections between sidewalks and bus routes used by residents age 50 and older.Downtown Ithaca Alliance: $2,500 for walk audits to examine sidewalk and crossing conditions near Ithaca’s downtown bus stations.Friends of Sandy Bottom Park, Honeoye: $11,100 to add benches along a popular park’s walking trails and provide equipment for new pickleball courts.

Hudson Valley

Finkelstein Library, Spring Valley: $12,000 to convert a van into a mobile library that visits older adults in local housing communities to provide books, media, internet access and programming.Town of Poughkeepsie: $15,000 to install safety features at a popular park, including a speed feedback sign, a flashing pedestrian sign and a clearly marked crosswalk.Village of Croton-on-Hudson: $15,000 to install a rapid-flashing pedestrian beacon on a street with many older residents.Village of Port Chester: $15,000 to improve downtown pedestrian safety by rebuilding sidewalks and curbs, adding accessible ramps and installing a crosswalk, lighting and a bench.

Long Island

Hofstra University, Hempstead: $2,500 for campus-wide intergenerational walk audits to assess safety and access. The findings will produce recommendations that support older adults on campus.The Barry & Florence Friedberg Jewish Community Center, Oceanside: $15,000 to create an outdoor social space featuring seating, shade and reading areas.

New York City

Center For Hope Services, Staten Island: $15,000 to install high-visibility crosswalks, turn-calming features and a clearly marked loading zone on a busy residential street.Good Old Lower East Side, Manhattan: $15,000 to conduct disaster preparedness workshops for residents of public housing developments.Jewish Association Serving the Aging Housing Management, Manhattan: $14,900 to transform an unused backyard at a housing site for older adults into an accessible outdoor space.Selfhelp Community Services, Queens: $2,500 to provide disaster preparedness training and leadership instruction to older adults from several buildings.Third Avenue Business Improvement District, Bronx: $15,000 to create street murals, install flex posts and wayfinding signage.The Hilas Foundation, New York City: $2,500 for preparedness trainings and support activities to help adults age 50 plus stay ready for emergencies.

Western New York

Buffalo Niagara YMCA: $2,500 for educational seminars and home assessments to identify safety hazards for older adults. Participants will receive simple products that improve home stability.Create a Healthier Niagara Falls Collaborative: $2,500 to conduct walk audits near Niagara Falls State Park. Community meetings will connect residents and lawmakers to implement solutions.Downtown ROCs, Rochester: $12,000 to install ADA-compliant benches and clear transit wayfinding signage along a key transit corridor.

“America is aging, and most older adults want to stay in the communities they know and love. There are a lot of things that localities can do to support residents of all ages,” said Nancy LeaMond, AARP, Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy & Engagement Officer.

“AARP Community Challenge grants help transform local ideas into real improvements— from safer sidewalks and improved transportation options to public spaces that bring neighbors together and enhance community connections. As we celebrate the program’s 10th year, we’re proud to double our investment so even more communities can become great places to live for people at all stages of life.”

View the full list of grantees and their projects at aarp.org/communitychallenge. Learn more about AARP’s work to support livable communities at aarp.org/livable.

About AARP

AARP is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to the 125 million Americans 50-plus and their families: health and financial security, and personal fulfillment. AARP also works for individuals in the marketplace by sparking new solutions and allowing carefully chosen, high-quality products and services to carry the AARP name. As a trusted source for news and information, AARP produces the nation’s largest-circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and the AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit aarp.org, aarp.org/espanol or follow @AARP, @AARPLatino and @AARPadvocates on social media.

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SOURCE AARP New York

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Akemona Launches CapMark™ AI Agent as Part of Its AI Investment Banker Platform

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FULLERTON, Calif., June 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Akemona today announced the launch of CapMark™ AI Agent, an AI-powered product that helps investment banks, asset managers, broker-dealers, and businesses create and organize digital asset offerings for raising funds and issuing tokenized products such as fractionalized stocks, tokenized funds, and options. CapMark AI Agent is available as part of Akemona’s AI Investment Banker for Digital Assets platform, which Akemona provides to financial institutions and businesses as a white-label subscription service.

The launch of CapMark AI Agent arrives amid significant regulatory and market momentum. The SEC is currently advancing a landmark shift for tokenization by exploring an Innovation Exemption—including the proposed repeal of core Regulation NMS rules—to permit third parties to tokenize U.S. stocks without issuer approval, paving the way for 24/7 global trading on blockchain rails. This regulatory tailwind aligns with massive existing demand. According to CoinMarketCap data, the market capitalization for tokenized stocks already exceeds $6.4 billion.

CapMark AI Agent automates the offering creation process, including issuer due diligence, offering structure analysis, regulatory document preparation, bookbuilding, and workflow coordination. CapMark is the AI automation engine of the Akemona platform, which includes Akemona’s Tokenization Cloud, Issuer Hub, Investor Portal, Admin Console, Escrow Manager, and OnchainTA digital transfer agent. It enables businesses and financial institutions to create, launch, manage, and service digital asset offerings through one integrated system.

The launch of CapMark AI Agent reflects Akemona’s strategy of integrating artificial intelligence and digital asset infrastructure to modernize capital markets. Traditional investment banking processes remain manual and costly, with fragmented workflows across attorneys, lead managers, underwriters, and compliance teams. CapMark AI Agent is built to reduce these inefficiencies by bringing intelligent reasoning, step-by-step workflow automation, and compliant outreach into one digital asset offering platform.

Alex de Lorraine, Chief Executive Officer of Akemona, said, “CapMark AI Agent represents an important step toward the automation of investment banking functions for the digital asset economy. Financial institutions are looking for tools that reduce manual work, improve consistency, and help them launch compliant digital asset products to market faster. With CapMark, Akemona provides institutions and businesses with an AI-powered system that supports offering creation—from the earliest structuring stage through investor-ready documentation—to raise funds and launch tokenized financial products.”

CapMark AI Agent is powered by leading foundational AI models integrated with Akemona’s Tokenization Cloud, which provides the infrastructure layer for digital asset issuance, investor workflows, compliance controls, escrow services, and digital asset lifecycle management. By combining CapMark AI Agent with Akemona’s existing applications, including Issuer Hub, Investor Portal, Admin Console, Escrow Manager, and OnchainTA, financial institutions and businesses can use one platform to create, launch, manage, and service digital asset offerings.

A key strength of the Akemona platform is its ability to use publicly available AI models and blockchains while ensuring the privacy of relevant and privileged information. It achieves this by removing chat logs after 30 days and ensuring no personal information is maintained on the blockchain. Furthermore, the Akemona platform works with private blockchains, anonymizing and obfuscating privileged information whenever it communicates with public systems. Information in its off-chain databases is maintained for six years to ensure compliance with SEC regulations.

Ravi Srivastava, Chief Product Officer of Akemona, explained, “CapMark AI Agent helps one person create and organize a digital asset offering end-to-end, while keeping the process structured and auditable. Our goal is to make digital asset offering creation more efficient for investment banks, asset managers, and businesses.”

CapMark AI Agent assists financial institutions and businesses with evaluating different structuring options for digital asset offerings, preparing market-ready materials, and coordinating the launch process. It is designed to support regulated capital markets use cases, including fundraising, tokenized securities, tokenized funds, real-world assets, stablecoin-enabled settlement, and other blockchain-native financial products.

Brady Matthews, Chief Technology Officer of Akemona, added, “CapMark AI Agent is built on Akemona’s deep experience in tokenization, smart contracts, regulatory workflows, and digital asset lifecycle management. By connecting AI-driven offering automation with our Tokenization Cloud, we are creating a powerful foundation for institutions that want to build digital asset products with security, configurability, and compliance in mind.”

Akemona believes capital markets infrastructure is entering a new phase. The pipes of capital markets are gradually being rewired with blockchain-based digital rails, while artificial intelligence is creating the opportunity to automate due diligence, underwriting, offering creation, bookbuilding, subscriptions, and post-subscription services. CapMark AI Agent is the first step in Akemona’s larger vision of building an AI Investment Banking Platform for programmable digital assets.

This vision points toward what Akemona calls Autonomous Wall Street—a future in which digital asset offerings can be created, launched, managed, and serviced through AI-driven, regulation-compliant infrastructure. As tokenization expands across securities, funds, structured products, commodities, real-world assets, and stablecoin-based settlement, Akemona is building the technology foundation for autonomous capital markets.

Media Contact
Email: info@akemona.com

About Akemona
Akemona is a fintech company focused on creating secure, regulation-compliant, and scalable digital asset infrastructure with AI-automated workflows for capital markets. Its comprehensive suite—including Tokenization Cloud, CapMark AI Agent, Issuer Hub, Investor Portal, Admin Console, Escrow Manager, and OnchainTA—enables financial institutions and businesses to efficiently create, manage, and service digital assets to raise funds and introduce new products with confidence. Akemona is pioneering the convergence of tokenization and artificial intelligence to power the next generation of regulated financial markets.

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SOURCE Akemona, Inc.

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Marquis Who’s Who Honors Michael J. Lawless for Expertise in Digital Growth

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UNIONDALE, N.Y., June 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Marquis Who’s Who honors Michael J. Lawless for his work as a partner and managing director at Alvarez & Marsal. With more than 30 years of experience in consulting, business strategy and digital transformation, Mr. Lawless helps organizations across industries discover new revenue streams through technology.

Data-Driven Business Solutions

Mr. Lawless leads as senior director at A&Mplify, Alvarez & Marsal’s Washington-based digital agency. In his position, he focuses on helping businesses strengthen revenue growth, improve customer engagement and create new value through data-driven solutions.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a primary driver in consulting and business strategy. As a result, AI is the power behind A&Mplify. “I’m focused on growth and revenue, so I view AI and agentic approaches as more than tools for immediate cost savings, like replacing people with bots that cut expenses. I see them as a whole new set of capabilities,” Mr. Lawless says. The technology enables companies to expand options and pursue growth opportunities during economic uncertainty.

Moreover, Mr. Lawless views AI as a productivity multiplier that helps teams test and execute ideas more efficiently. “AI significantly shortens processes and allows your existing team to be more productive,” he says. “That’s how you extract value from AI.”

A Career Spanning Across Industries

Before joining Alvarez & Marsal in 2021, Mr. Lawless spent more than a decade working for Accenture. There, he served as managing director and design lead at Accenture Interactive and later as managing director of the digital studio at Accenture Federal Services. He began his career at Coca-Cola North America in 1989 and later worked in leadership positions at AOL and SunEdison.

Across these roles, Mr. Lawless guided teams in launching new products and services, managing profit and loss responsibilities and designing customer-focused strategies. His career includes significant work with consumer analytics, large-scale solution design and marketing strategy.

Strategic Partnership Development

Mr. Lawless is currently advancing a collaboration with an SI (Systems Integrator). The aim is to build growth strategies and revenue opportunities for client organizations. The partnership pairs his team’s expertise in business case development with the integrator’s technical capabilities in custom software development and technology implementation.

Rising interest rates, higher capital costs and shifting policies create challenges and opportunities during market volatility. Financially stable companies can benefit by making smart investments. Mr. Lawless explores how commercial, nonprofit and government organizations manage disruption and adapt to these changing circumstances. “All of this ties into my focus on generating new revenue streams and navigating growth amid these challenges,” he says.

Advanced Business Expertise

Mr. Lawless earned a bachelor’s degree in government from the University of Virginia and a Master of Business Administration in marketing and international business from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. He is also a member of Beta Gamma Sigma and Phi Pi Theta honor societies.

Among his professional highlights, Mr. Lawless cites his work with the U.S. Marshals Service. In that capacity, he helped develop large-scale frameworks to support the agency’s operations. He also created systems to improve consumer analytics. This development enabled organizations to better understand customer behavior and strengthen their decision-making.

Mentorship, Volunteer Work and Client Outcomes

Outside of his professional commitments, Mr. Lawless served as a board member and mentor for the Cappies of the National Capital Area for more than 10 years. It’s an initiative that supports young people in the arts. He also volunteered for Odyssey of the Mind for nearly a decade by encouraging creative problem-solving among students. In his personal life, he’s the father of two children.

In the next five years, Mr. Lawless intends to expand the potential of A&Mplify. His vision is to combine corporate restructuring and growth strategies to help clients position themselves for success during economic instability. By identifying stable organizations ready to invest, he seeks to drive measurable outcomes that create lasting business value.

About Marquis Who’s Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who’s Who in America®, Marquis Who’s Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who’s Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms worldwide. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who’s Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.

Marquis Who’s Who
Uniondale, NY
(844) 394 – 6946
info@marquiswhoswho.com
www.marquiswhoswho.com

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Crown Capital Announces Agreement to Sell Galaxy Broadband Communications to Calian

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CALGARY, AB, June 25, 2026 /CNW/ – Crown Capital Partners Inc. (“Crown” or the “Corporation”) (TSX: CRWN) today announced that it has entered into a share purchase agreement (the “Galaxy Transaction”) to sell all of the issued and outstanding shares of its subsidiary, Galaxy Broadband Communications Inc. (“Galaxy”), to Calian Group Ltd. (TSX: CGY) (“Calian”). Galaxy is a Canadian leader in satellite communications and remote connectivity solutions. Completion of the Galaxy Transaction is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including the approval of the holders of Crown’s outstanding 12% Senior Secured Debentures (TSX: CRWN.NT) (the “Debentureholders”), as described below.

Transaction Terms

Under the terms of the share purchase agreement, total consideration payable to Crown and its subsidiaries is up to $51.5 million, comprised of:

$24.0 million payable in cash at closing, subject to a 1 year, 10% holdback to deal with post closing adjustments if any; andup to an additional $27.5 million in consideration payable over the three years following closing subject to the financial performance of Galaxy.

The Galaxy Transaction is expected to close in August 2026, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of customary closing conditions and the approval of Crown’s Debentureholders. There can be no assurance that the Galaxy Transaction will be completed on the terms described herein, or at all.

About Galaxy Broadband

Founded by Rick Hodgkinson, one of Canada’s satellite pioneers, Galaxy Broadband delivers secure and resilient communications and connectivity solutions to government, defense, critical infrastructure and remote community customers across Canada. Galaxy is a recognized provider of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite, private wireless and multi-orbit connectivity solutions, supporting organizations operating in some of Canada’s most remote and challenging environments, including Northern Canada.

Management Commentary

“The sale of Galaxy Broadband to Calian represents an important step in our previously announced strategy to realize value from Crown’s assets and strengthen the Corporation’s financial position,” said Chris Johnson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Crown. “Calian is a strong, well-capitalized acquirer whose space and defense focus is an excellent fit for Galaxy’s team, customers and capabilities. We believe this transaction delivers a compelling outcome for our stakeholders, and we look forward to seeking the support of our Debentureholders as we move toward completion.”

Debentureholder Approval and Meeting

Completion of the Galaxy Transaction is conditional upon, among other things, the approval of Crown’s Debentureholders. Crown intends to seek that approval at a meeting of Debentureholders (the “Meeting”) to be called for that purpose.

In connection with the Meeting, Crown intends to prepare and file a management information circular (the “Circular”) containing details of the Galaxy Transaction and the matters to be considered at the Meeting. Crown expects to file and mail the Circular in the coming days, with the Meeting expected to be held by the end of August 2026. Further details regarding the Meeting, including the record date and voting procedures, will be set out in the Circular and accompanying materials when they are made available. This news release does not constitute a solicitation of any vote or approval.

Use of Proceeds

Crown intends to apply the net proceeds of the Galaxy Transaction to the repayment of its senior credit facility and senior subordinated debentures, to pay the interest which was due on December 31, 2025 on its Debentures, and to fund other obligations of the Corporation. The additional consideration payable in future years, together with activities to maximize the value of remaining assets, is expected to provide liquidity to satisfy other obligations of the Corporation and to realize value for shareholders.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain “forward looking statements” and certain “forward looking information” as defined under applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may”, “will”, “expect”, “intend”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “continue”, “plans” or similar terminology. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements, management’s beliefs, expectations or intentions regarding the expected timing and completion of the Galaxy Transaction, the receipt of Debentureholder approval, regulatory and other approvals, the timing for filing and mailing of the Circular and holding of the Meeting, the amount and timing of consideration to be received, the use of proceeds, and the Corporation’s strategy, liquidity and restructuring objectives. Forward-looking statements are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions that while believed by management to be reasonable, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties concerning the specific factors identified in the Crown’s periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. See Crown’s most recent annual information form for a detailed discussion of the risk factors affecting Crown. Crown undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information except as required by applicable law. Such forward-looking information represents management’s best judgment based on information currently available. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual future results may vary materially. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information.

SOURCE Crown Capital Partners Inc.

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