As a writer and filmmaker, storytelling has always been my creative home. But that year, I stepped into a new role (teaching artist) and conceived a course called Silver Screen Filmmakers Club. I didn’t just want to teach filmmaking techniques. I wanted to create a space where older adults could claim their stories, shape them, and see themselves reflected on screen.

What started as a simple goal, to create equitable, accessible access to the Grand Calumet Lagoon and River, grew into Indiana’s first universally designed kayak launch and sensory garden. Capturing this process on film was essential because this story isn’t just about a physical space, it’s about how community-led initiatives, public–private partnerships, and persistence can make meaningful, lasting change.