JumpstART Weekend gets ready to welcome everyone to downtown Kalamazoo for summer art and fun

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May 26, 2022

The events get rolling Wednesday, June 1. The 71st Annual Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Fair will be back at Bronson Park. Art on the Mall will be back and bigger on the Kalamazoo Mall on June 4. The Do-Dah Parade will be do-dah-ing along downtown roads that day. And everyone will be showing their pride in person at the Arcadia Creek Festival Place for Kalamazoo Pride 2022. Concerts in the Park and Beats On Bates -- which were in-person last year -- will be back, too.

Don’t look now, but it’s time to jump into summer at Kalamazoo parks
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May 26, 2022

With the Memorial Day Weekend as the traditional kickoff of the summer season and the hope that Kalamazoo weather will stay warm, residents of the city’s core neighborhoods – those without their own swimming pools – will be looking for opportunities to cool off. The City of Kalamazoo has some answers for that, and it’s looking to kick off the summer season with a party.

A father selects fresh-picked radishes at a local farm stand.
Creating sustainable, local food systems through food policy councils
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Economic Development
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May 25, 2022

This article is the second in a two-part series about food policy councils and how SNAP-Ed can help to inform that work. 

Calhoun County seeks prospective foster care parents who will open their homes with love for all
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May 25, 2022

There's a need for more foster care homes in Calhoun County, especially for youth who identify as LGBTQ+.  A mom who has fostered more than 30 children talks about why her family keeps opening their home.

Kalamazoo’s First United Methodist Church downtown helps the unhoused with multiple programs
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May 25, 2022

Like most communities, Kalamazoo has struggled for decades with homelessness. There are an array of government and nonprofit agencies and services focused on the problem. But they are not alone. Some members of the area’s faith community are also deeply involved. They include the First United Methodist Church in downtown Kalamazoo.

Families enjoying fresh fruits and vegetables at a local farm stand.
The intersection of communities, educators, and food policy councils for just, healthy food systems
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Economic Development
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May 23, 2022

A food policy council can influence, improve, or remove barriers in the food system that cause disparities, inequities, poor nutrition, or economic hardships. 

LISC Kalamazoo is looking for area nonprofits that may qualify for community development funds
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May 19, 2022

LISC-Kalamazoo will be the conduit for hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding through the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Section 4 Program. “HUD Section 4 is a specific pool of money to increase nonprofits’ capacity to do their work in specific areas,” says Beth Romeo, the assistant program officer at LISC Kalamazoo.

A love for crafting becomes a retreat center business enterprise for women in Calhoun County
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May 19, 2022

Running crafting retreat centers is a business where people are making memories together. Katrina Asselin, owner of Riverside Retreats in Marshall and Kim Hall manager of  Creekside Crafting Retreats in Emmett Township have found their niche.

Three Calhoun County entities work together to keep those needing mental health services out of jail
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May 19, 2022

The county’s Public Defender’s Office, Summit Pointe and the Battle Creek Police Department -- each have implemented programs and services that are showing success, while also highlighting challenges they face. Their work is based on building established relationships and work to provide mental health services to those who have too often in the past become statistics in the criminal justice system.

Kalamazoo is set to celebrate Juneteenth 2022 with song, dance, and fireworks
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May 18, 2022

Soul Artistry has worked with more than a dozen area organizations to compile a list of  this year’s events celebrating Juneteenth in Kalamazoo.

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