How a 91-Year-Old Vibe- Coded a Community Service App with AI

Jul 22, 2025

4

min read

A

t 91, John Blackman, a retired electrical engineer, has done what many might consider impossible: he built a sophisticated web application for his church’s community service events with no prior software development experience, a budget of less than $350, and the power of AI tools like Claude and Replit.

His app streamlines event organization, volunteer coordination, and participant management for Impact Weekends, offering free services like haircuts, eyeglasses, and oil changes.

This is the story of how John’s growth mindset and AI-driven “vibe coding” transformed a paper-based process into a digital solution that’s poised to change his community.

A Lifetime of Learning and a Growth Mindset

John’s career is a masterclass in embracing new challenges. From his early days at Kansas City Power and Light to running a hardware store in Oklahoma, earning an airplane mechanic certification, and mastering AutoCAD in the 1980s, John has always leaned into innovation.

He worked on one of the first underground fiber optic projects in the U.S. and was called out of retirement to help launch Google Fiber. He even owns Bitcoin, purchased in 2018. When asked if there’s anything he hasn’t tried, John chuckles, “Not yet.”

This relentless curiosity led him to AI-powered coding, inspired by his grandson Brett and fueled by tools like Claude, developed by Anthropic, and Replit, a platform revolutionizing software development [The Future of Software Development: A Deep Dive into Replit with Amjad Masad, educationnext.in].

The Problem: Manual Processes for Community Impact

John’s church hosts Impact Weekends, providing free services to the local community, from haircuts to oil changes.

As the registration coordinator, John managed these events with pen and paper, a slow and error-prone process. Inspired by another church’s “passport” system—a handwritten list of a participant’s chosen services—John envisioned a digital solution.

“I said it’d be nice to have that in the computer somehow,” he recalls. Brett suggested using Claude and Replit, and thus began an AI-driven coding adventure.

Building the App: From Vision to Victory with Claude and Replit

John started with Claude, an AI conversational model from Anthropic, to create a requirements document and development roadmap

He typed his ideas into a Word document and fed them to Claude, treating the AI like a colleague. “I just talk to it like it’s a person,” John says, even referring to Claude as “he.” Claude helped outline the app’s core features, including event management, volunteer coordination, and a digital “Impact Passport” for participants.

Next, John turned to Replit, an AI-powered coding platform founded by Amjad Masad, which allows users to build apps using natural language prompts [Replit — What is Vibe Coding?].

Replit’s Agent took John’s requirements and generated the code, creating a functional app in just two days. “I copied what Claude put together and put it into Replit, and there it was,” John marvels. “It was so fast, I couldn’t believe it.”

For those interested in learning this process, DeepLearning.AI offers a free course, Vibe Coding 101 with Replit, taught by Replit’s President Michele Catasta and Head of Developer Relations Matt Palmer.

John and Brett worked late nights—sometimes until 3 a.m.—refining the app through iterative prompting, a process known as “vibe coding,” where users focus on high-level design while AI handles the technical details

If you’re curious about vibe coding, you can explore similar techniques through resources like Learninwithak vibe coding session on Gumroad.

A Feature-Rich Application

John’s app is a testament to what’s possible with AI-driven development:

Multi-Tenant Admin System: System admins oversee all churches, while local admins manage their events, ensuring secure, role-based access.
Participant Registration Flow: Users register via a QR code, inputting details like name, phone number, and, for oil changes, their vehicle’s VIN number. The app uses an Open AI API to look up oil requirements, streamlining preparation.
Impact Passport: Participants receive a digital passport listing their services, replacing handwritten notes.
Specialized Reports: The app generates reports on demographics, service usage, and specific needs like food pantry orders or vision center requirements.
Waivers and Signatures: A digital signature capture flow ensures compliance.

John recently added a volunteer name tag feature, generating printable labels to replace sticky notes. “This will hang around their neck in a plastic folder,” he explains, showcasing his iterative approach to adding features.

Challenges and Triumphs

Building the app wasn’t without obstacles. Moving from development to production proved tricky, particularly with attaching PDF passports to participant emails. “It works great in development, but in production, it doesn’t always transfer,” John notes.

After days of troubleshooting, he resolved the issue by adjusting the PDF format. Another challenge involved an Open AI API key reverting to an old version in production, breaking the VIN number lookup. John’s solution was to instruct Replit to revert to a previous working version, a testament to his intuitive debugging skills.

Despite these hurdles, John built the app in weeks for about $350, primarily for Replit usage. “The program was running in two days for about $25,” he says, a feat that would have taken traditional developers months.

The Impact: Empowering a Community

The church community was floored by John’s creation. “They said, ‘This blows me away,’” he recalls.

Pastors are excited about the app’s reports, which provide detailed participant data for follow-up ministry. Volunteers benefit from reduced paperwork, and participants enjoy a seamless registration process. While the app awaits its official launch as John refines features, the church is eager to adopt it.

Lessons from a 91-Year-Old Innovator

John’s journey offers timeless lessons:

Embrace a Growth Mindset: From AutoCAD to AI, John’s career-immersion in technology shows the power of staying open to change. “A lot of my friends didn’t want to learn AutoCAD,” he says. “I was still having fun in 2018.”
Use AI as a Partner: John’s conversational approach to Claude and Replit made complex development accessible.
Start Simple, Iterate Often: John built incrementally, adding features like name tags and VIN lookups as needed.
Don’t Fear the Unknown: When someone feared AI, John responded, “If you figure out how to use it the right way, it’s going to help a lot of people.”

John Blackman’s story proves that AI tools like Claude and Replit are democratizing software development, enabling anyone with an idea to create something impactful.

At 91, John has shown that age is no barrier to innovation. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned developer, tools like Replit’s Agent and courses like Vibe Coding 101 with Replit can help you turn your ideas into reality. Start vibe coding today, and let your imagination shape the future.

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Jul 22, 2025

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Digital Learning