“A community the size of Kalamazoo... has an excellent, robust public transit system, and we have a group of employees here that care about being community servants and taking care of people’s needs to get them where they need to go.”
Kalamazoo’s Youth Football Camp brought together local high schools, the Police Athletic League, and families for a free, skills-based event aimed at teaching kids the fundamentals of football, building community unity, and keeping youth active and engaged.
At The Aroma Labs, custom scents become bottled memories. What began in a Kalamazoo kitchen is now a scent-sational business spreading across the Midwest.
Northside native Jonathan Yarbrough has been named executive director of the Northside Association for Community Development. Seen as a "connector, bridge-builder, and advocate," he plans to "move the needle" on the neighborhood’s legacy while driving community-focused growth.
On June 2, the Kalamazoo County Housing Department opened its online portal for projects seeking financial support from the county’s Homes for All Housing Millage. “It’s open and we have money for funding,” says Kalamazoo County Housing Director Mary Balkema. “We’re really hoping that developers and nonprofits go in and really have some good applications for funding.”
Following the recent gun deaths of two Kalamazoo youth, the Northside Ministerial Alliance organized a Dominion Walk for peace and against gun violence that drew over 250. “There’s more of us in the community than there are shooters, and so if we make our voices loud and do what we’re supposed to, I think we can make it better.”
Speak It Forward hosts the Kirk Latimer Celebration of Success, the group's 16th event that will highlight a year's worth of working with youth and honor its late co-founder. The event takes place at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 7, at Chenery Auditorium.
Still going strong after two decades, the Kalamazoo Promise has grown and pivoted to adjust to current trends and needs. "We started to realize that every student's story is unique."
Legacy Senior Living, a 70-unit affordable apartment complex for people age 55 or older is expected to be completed in the next 17 to 18 months. More than 200 people attended Mt. Zion Baptist Church's groundbreaking for the of two, three-story buildings.
“In Kalamazoo, we have a proven track record of turning community vision into action: Ninety-nine percent of the actions in Imagine Kalamazoo 2025 have been completed or are in progress. This wouldn’t be possible without our community showing up and sharing their voices, ideas, and energy to help shape our community.”
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