United Way of the Greater Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Region / Kalamazoo Youth Development Network

“What do we want?”

“After-school!”

“When do we want it?”

“NOW!”

This was the rallying cry at the first community-wide “Lights On Afterschool” event, coordinated by the Kalamazoo Youth Development Network (KYD Network) and attended by over 200 school-aged youth and 75 youth-development professionals on September 21, 2015. The Lights On Afterschool rally, intended to increase awareness of and support for the out-of-school time (OST) sector in Kalamazoo, provided youth with the opportunity to talk about what after-school and summer programming means to them and to receive a proclamation from the City of Kalamazoo recognizing the importance of OST programming.

The Kalamazoo Youth Development Network serves as an intermediary organization to the OST sector in Kalamazoo County. Our vision is that all Kalamazoo County youth are college, career, and community ready by 21. We achieve this by ensuring all Kalamazoo County youth have access to high quality, youth-driven, diverse, inclusive, and equitable OST programs.

Over the past 18 months, KYD Network has transformed from an information-sharing group to a collective action movement. KYD Network is dedicated to collaboratively building a sustainable OST system so that all youth have the opportunity to identify their interests and assets, explore community resources that align with their passions, and gain the skills necessary to become successful adults.

KYD Network provides training and technical assistance, along with networking opportunities, to the entire OST network in the county (approximately 45 organizations) and works directly with 20 youth-development organizations that engage in the Youth Program Quality Intervention (YPQI), an evidenced-based continuous quality improvement system created and managed by the David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality. These 20 organizations also participate in our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) initiative, based on the Devereux Center for Resilient Children’s approach to social-emotional learning. The organizations we collaborate with include a number of Irving S. Gilmore Foundation grantees and serve children and youth, ages five to 21.

For more information, please visit:
www.kydnet.org

Human Services  Posted by 17 May 2016

All Ears Theatre / Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo

All Ears Theatre (All Ears) debuted in January 2002 as a collaboration of local artists organized by the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo. Led by veteran radiotheatre producer Don Ramlow, All Ears presents twelve free performances each season in the style of radio’s golden age, a mix of classics, adaptations and original scripts, with stories ranging from mystery, to science fiction, to fantasy. Actors, musicians, and sound-effects artists perform on stage before a live audience at the First Baptist Church in downtown Kalamazoo. These shows are recorded live and then broadcast on WMUK 102.1 FM.

Even without theatrical sets, costumes, or props, All Ears performances are highly kinetic and very entertaining. Manual sound effects play a crucial role in every performance. Everyday sounds are reproduced using fans, saws, sandbags, plungers, children’s toys — whatever it takes. Futuristic noises such as spaceships and ray guns are imagined and then created by sound-effects artists utilizing unique, and often unexpected, sound sources. Children, in particular, are often fascinated by what they observe.

All Ears is not only a local gem, but has also garnerednational respect through participation in national radio-theatre conventions and has received significant awards and recognitions. All Ears is also a unique contribution to Kalamazoo’s historical, educational, and cultural scenes. So unique is All Ears Theatre that Kiplinger’s named it a “Must-See Freebie.” That is why audiences of all ages have come to love this artistic offering.

www.kalamazooarts.org.org/detail/1184/All_Ears_Theatre

Arts, Culture & Humanities  Posted by 23 Jun 2015

Building Blocks of Kalamazoo

STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY THROUGH “URBAN BARN RAISING”

Building Blocks is a collaborative effort of representatives from many community organizations, a collaboration that organizes local residents around the physical and social revitalization of their neighborhoods. Through this street-level community organizing, residents are able to strengthen social bonds, strengthen the collective voice of the neighborhood and play a main role in the development of their own communities. Residents in each target site volunteer their labor to projects which they have selected. The success of these activities depends upon the voluntary and cooperative efforts of neighborhood residents. They work together to improve not only their own homes, but also their neighbors’ homes. Residents also volunteer their time, preparing food, supervising projects, or offering their homes for meeting space. Most importantly, through cooperation and involvement in the project activities, residents bond with each other and ensure a sense of commitment to their streets and their neighborhood associations.

Although Building Blocks operates in distinctively small sites, the cumulative effect of its activities is impressive. Over the past 20 years the program has enabled some 1,500 households in the city’s low- and low-to-moderate income neighborhoods to upgrade their homes when few other discretionary funds were available. Of more lasting importance, Building Blocks has helped to regenerate community ties in 150 street-level target sites, supporting improvements and enhancing general quality of life as neighbors step forward to take collective responsibility. Neighborhood associations have also benefited from the influx of new leaders and new loyalties from local residents.

www.bbkazoo.org

Community Development  Posted by 23 Jun 2015

Education for the Arts /Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency

DEVELOPING OUR YOUNG PEOPLE THROUGH THE ARTS

Education for the Arts (EFA) is a program arm of Kalamazoo RESA. EFA’s roots are based on the unanimous desire of the nine public school districts in Kalamazoo County to make arts education a learning and teaching priority. EFA’s mandate is to enhance arts education opportunities and programs for every Kalamazoo County school through the development, maintenance, and strengthening of partnerships between school districts, teachers, and the rich array of professional arts institutions in southwest Michigan. EFA is recognized statewide and nationally as a leader in K-12 arts education for demonstrated excellence in philosophy and practice, and for its experienced and dedicated staff. In 2009, EFA was honored to receive a Distinguished Service Award from the Michigan Art Education Association. EFA received the 2005 ArtServe Michigan Governor’s Award for Arts in Education. In 2006, EFA received the ArtServe Michigan Arts in Education Award. Further, three of EFA’s Excellence in the Arts high school instructors have been honored in recent years by their peers by being named Michigan Educators of the Year in the disciplines of dance, theater, and digital media/film.

www.efa-rep.org

Arts, Culture & Humanities  Posted by 23 Jun 2015

First Day Shoe Fund

STARTING EVERY CHILD ON EQUAL FOOTING

First Day Shoe Fund is a local grassroots initiative founded in 2004 by Valerie Denghel, who was inspired to step up and do something in response to what she witnessed during her volunteer work in Kalamazoo Public Schools. Many low-income families are unable to purchase new shoes because of rising costs and, as a result, numerous children come to school in shoes that are the incorrect size, worn out, and threadbare. And so it began: First there was one pair, and then another, and then yet another, until the basement of Valerie’s home was filled with new shoes for students in need.

The needs of children and families didn’t diminish from year to year, and expansion of the shoe program began in 2006, when First Day Shoe Fund became an official 501(c)(3) and established a board of directors. First Day Shoe Fund provides new athletic shoes to students from Kalamazoo Public Schools and Comstock Public Schools at annual distribution events held in both the summer and the fall. Thanks to a wonderful partnership with Communities in Schools of Kalamazoo, assistance from Kalamazoo and Comstock Public Schools’ faculty, staff, and administration, and support from countless community organizations and volunteers, First Day Shoe Fund has grown into a strong local non-profit organization created through grassroots action.

Not only do new athletic shoes foster self esteem in students, thereby improving their school performance, they also allow students to participate in healthy activities both inside and outside of school. First Day Shoe Fund believes that every child should start school on equal footing. Its goal is to support low-income families by ensuring their children have adequate footwear to begin each new school year. First Day Shoe Fund hopes to improve the lives of young students, one pair of shoes at a time.

www.firstdayshoefund.org

Human Services  Posted by 23 Jun 2015

Irving S. Gilmore International Keyboard Festival

BUILDING COMMUNITY THROUGH THE CELEBRATION OF MUSICAL ARTISTRY

Twenty-five years ago, the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation launched an initiative to honor the memory of its namesake by creating an international artist award and piano festival. In keeping with the manner in which Mr. Gilmore supported pianists during his lifetime, the award was designed to be non-competitive. Nominations and evaluations would be conducted without the knowledge of the nominees and the award would be completely unexpected by its recipient. In order to accomplish these objectives a new non-profit organization was formed. Today both this organization and its primary festival are known as “The Gilmore.”

The resulting Gilmore Artist and Young Artist Awards have furthered the careers of many deserving pianists and today are recognized as two of the most prestigious awards in the music world. A biennial international piano festival was created in 1991 to showcase Gilmore Artists and other world-class performers in and around Kalamazoo. By 2014, more than 31,000 seats were filled by people who enjoyed exceptional and memorable performances at the 17-day International Keyboard Festival.

In addition to the Artist Awards and the Festival, The Gilmore presents a Rising Stars concert series, and during non-Festival years, a Piano Masters concert series. Further, the Piano Labs education program offers keyboard instruction for students who might otherwise lack the opportunity. The labs are held at area elementary schools, the Kalamazoo Juvenile Home, and through KRESA’s Young Adult Program, thus ensuring their accessibility to the students. Moreover, piano camps, master classes, pre-concert talks, free family concerts, and classes for all ages develop keyboard skills and foster a lifelong appreciation for music.

www.thegilmore.org

Arts, Culture & Humanities  Posted by 23 Jun 2015

Kalamazoo County Ready 4s

ENSURING HIGH QUALITY PRE-KINDERGARTEN EDUCATION FOR OUR CHILDREN

Kalamazoo County Ready 4s (KC Ready 4s) is a community-designed organization focused on: providing coaching and mentoring to assist local pre-kindergarten providers in achieving and sustaining high-quality standards under Michigan’s Great Start to Quality system; offering tuition assistance to qualifying families so they can afford to enroll their child in a high-quality pre-kindergarten program; and building a sustainable network of public and private pre kindergarten programs. KC Ready 4s’ goal is to ensure that every four-year-old, without exception, has the opportunity to experience a high-quality pre-kindergarten program.

In addition, KC Ready 4s partners with WMU’s Department of Speech Pathology & Audiology and Department of Occupational Therapy to offer speech, hearing, and language screenings, and gross and fine motor development screenings. To engage and empower families, KC Ready 4s offers workshops to strengthen the connection between what happens in the classroom and the home, and also works with school districts to assist children and families with the transition between pre-kindergarten and kindergarten.

www.kcready4s.org

Education  Posted by 23 Jun 2015

Kalamazoo Valley Community College

CREATING “MENUS THAT MATTER” AT THE HEALTH-FOCUSED CAMPUS

We live in a time when increasing numbers of Americans consume food prepared away from home. This trend — along with poor dietary choices and lack of access to healthy, sustainably sourced food — contributes to a reduced quality of life and the onset of preventable disease.

The Culinary Arts and Sustainable Food curriculum recently approved by the Kalamazoo Valley Community College Trustees reflects the belief that the best practices of urban agriculture, the latest developments in culinary and food-production research and technology, and the transformative power of education will improve the health and well-being of our citizens and help sustain our communities. The college believes that culinary and food professionals can serve as positive change agents in society. This new curriculum is scheduled to launch in fall 2015 and will be delivered in state-of-the-art facilities on a new health-focused campus in downtown Kalamazoo.

This health-focused campus, a unique partnership between Bronson Healthcare, Kalamazoo Community Health and Substance Abuse Services, and Kalamazoo Valley Community College is under construction on approximately 14 acres of land donated by Bronson Healthcare. Three facilities are planned. Kalamazoo Valley Community College will develop one for food production and distribution; a second for nursing, allied health and culinary programs; and the third will be a new psychiatric clinic for Kalamazoo Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

The campus is close to Bronson Hospital and Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, extending the healthcare corridor toward the underserved Edison neighborhood and the Kalamazoo Farmers’ Market. Anchor projects located near downtown neighborhoods bring collateral jobs and opportunities to fuel further revitalization and urban prosperity, fostering collaborative community involvement in addressing critical issues impacting underserved populations. Since announcing the new campus, at least two major commercial projects have been initiated in the area. Improving the lives of community residents will improve neighborhoods, multiplying the positive impact of urban revitalization.

grow.kvcc.edu

Community Development  Posted by 23 Jun 2015

Kalamazoo Youth Development Network / United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region

ADVANCING YOUTH DEVELOPMENT THROUGH HIGH QUALITY PROGRAMMING AND LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

In 1998, the United Way, the Hispanic American Council, and the City of Kalamazoo partnered with the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation to bring research-based youth development strategies to Kalamazoo. These strategies emphasize developmentally appropriate engagement with adolescents, high-quality adult/youth partnerships, and opportunities for youth leadership.

Operating today under the umbrella of the United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region, the mission of the Kalamazoo Youth Development Network (KYD Network) is to ensure that all Kalamazoo County youth have access to high-quality out-of-school-time programs that are well coordinated and utilize resources efficiently. KYD Network serves as an intermediary organization, open to all Kalamazoo County out-of-school-time programs and their staff. Currently, KYD Network is implementing the Youth Program Quality Intervention (“YPQI”) for 15 organizations. Through the YPQI, these organizations are improving program quality, thereby increasing both the number of youth participants and the frequency of their participation. Through the YPQI, organizations are maximizing the impact of their programs on youth’s social-emotional learning skills and their school performance, including attendance, behavior, and academic proficiency.

www.kydnet.org

Human Services  Posted by 23 Jun 2015

Michigan Festival of Sacred Music

EMBRACING MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING AND RESPECT

The Michigan Festival of Sacred Music (MFSM) was established in 2000, after a study conducted with support from the Irving S. Gilmore and the Kalamazoo Community Foundations concluded that such a festival was both desirable and feasible. The festival, initially one weekend long, is a biennial event, occurring in November in odd-numbered years. In 2004, the MFSM began to present “off-year” events during the intervening seasons, to increase awareness and visibility, and further its mission. In 2007, MFSM assumed co-sponsorship (with First Congregational Church) of the Messiah Sing, held on the Sunday following Thanksgiving. The “weekend” festival expanded to four days, then six days, and by 2009 it covered 10 days. This practice, which continues today, accommodates more events, while spreading them out less densely in a manner that makes multiple events easier to attend, creates more opportunities for collaboration with other organizations, makes more opportunities for outreach with artists,
and enables use of a wider variety of venues in more widely distributed locations.

MFSM offers events which represent diverse religious traditions, thereby promoting mutual respect and understanding through the sharing of music and associated cultural tenets treasured by these traditions, celebrating our differences and shared common values. In so doing, MFSM aspires to accentuate community harmony by encouraging individual and group participation from all segments of society. The “What’s Sacred to You?” initiative, begun in 2013, partners with humanservice and environmental non-profits, providing information booths for each MFSM event.

www.mfsm.us

Arts, Culture & Humanities  Posted by 23 Jun 2015