The sites in Kalamazoo are funded by the Kalamazoo Community foundation: www.kalfound.org [1]
Over the years, the Kalamazoo Community Foundation has provided essential funding to programs that encourage individuals and families to succeed, engage residents and youths in community activities, enrich education and learning, and foster economic and community growth. The Community Foundation’s imprint on the community is both broad and deep. It is nearly impossible to walk or drive but a few blocks without coming across a building, program or person that has been touched by its philanthropy.
Kalamazoo County residents, like people in communities around the country are facing increased unemployment, increased home foreclosures, depleting food pantries, and rising poverty. Some Kalamazoo County citizens are asking themselves for the first time how they can get involved in their community. People of all ages are seeking opportunities to make a difference and be a part of the change they wish to see in their communities.
Our promotion of civic engagement through the Communities for All Ages initiative is intended to help Kalamazoo County increase the supply of talent, skills and commitment, as opposed to creating additional opportunities for civic engagement. We fundamentally believe that numerous civic engagement opportunities exist in our community, but that some residents need more structured and inviting pathways to the opportunities. We seek out diverse groups and organizations that are interested in creating systematic ways to connect people to the opportunities. We chose to support a Communities for All Ages initiative because it will bring together diverse groups of community leaders, youth, and older adults to develop plans of action that address ways to increase civic engagement across the ages and at a systems level.
The Foundation joined the CFAA’s national network in 2009 and has begun working with two communities in Kalamazoo:
Links:
[1] http://www.kalfound.org