Partners in Philanthropy Partnering with you to love Kalamazoo
Spring 2018
You’ve already shown your love for this community by creating an Advised Fund at the Community Foundation. Through Partners in Philanthropy, we offer you an opportunity to demonstrate that love again by supporting one or more of the projects highlighted with a grant suggestion from the fund you established. The programs shared in this publication are among the recent funding requests we’ve received from local nonprofit organizations.
YWCA | Cradle Kalamazoo Cradle Kalamazoo believes that every child deserves a first birthday. Unfortunately the reality in our community is that not every child is making it to their first year celebration. Cradle Kalamazoo believes that we can do better. The YWCA is leading this initiative which has a long term goal of creating zero disparities in infant mortality and ensuring all our children, especially children of color, have equal opportunity to succeed and thrive in life. Cradle Kalamazoo is driven by the need to create a generational impact on child well-being and is implementing an intentional strategy to address the root causes of infant mortality and racial disparities in birth outcomes. Your funding supports: collaboration among Cradle’s 30 partner organization, safe sleep and reproductive health education, staff equity training and development, and intentional engagement with community members. Equity and Education are two key pillars to the work of the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. Cradle Kalamazoo believes that in order to make an impact on equity and education in our community, we must look at improving infant mortality and birth outcomes. Research shows that low birth weight and prematurity, which are some of the leading causes of infant mortality in Kalamazoo, are correlated with poor educational and employment achievements. The persistence of disparities in birth outcomes is greatly impacting the educational disparities for children of color in Kalamazoo. Since development during pregnancy and early child development (0-5 years) is the foundation to success, reducing the infant mortality rate is needed to create a more equitable community. To support this program, select Cradle Kalamazoo on the grant suggestion form.
408
meetings fostering communication, coordinated action and shared accountability by Cradle Kalamazoo.
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community events hosted with a total of 784 attendees, volunteers and participants.
Photo Courtesy of YWCA
More Co-Investment Opportunities Northside Association for Community Development These co-investment opportunities highlight some recent funding requests from local nonprofit organizations. If you want to support one or more of these projects through the Advised Fund you established at the Community Foundation, please make a grant suggestion using Kalamazoo Connect — just go to www.kalfound.org and click on the green Kalamazoo Connect link at the top of the page — or complete the grant suggestion form on page four and return it to us by email, USPS or fax. You also may email members of our Donor Relations team, who are available to provide you with more information about these and other community needs. See page four for contact information.
The Northside Association for Community Development’s (NACD) objectives are to create programs and services that will increase financial independence of Northside residents and provide safe affordable housing for seniors, individuals and families. A group of concerned citizens incorporated NACD as a non-profit organization in 1981. These citizens wanted to make a difference and over the years, many of their children have served on the board to ensure the residents who lived in the neighborhood continued to have a voice. Board meetings are open to the public and 80 percemnt of board members live in the Northside neighborhood per the by-laws. NACD’s mission is to advocate and promote a healthier environment, job creation, financial independence, safety and neighborhood revitalization. To support this program, select Northside Association for Community Development on the grant suggestion form.
Read And Write Kalamazoo Literacy is a foundational component of an equitable community. Providing platforms for youth to exercise their voices and strengthen their skills as readers and writers is not a privilege, but a right. Read and Write Kalamazoo (affectionately known as RAWK) celebrates and amplifies authentic voice in the specific context of each student’s cultural identity, while remaining mindful of the practical and social capital resulting from the use of academic language. As RAWK continues to discover ways of addressing equity and access in our community, all programs are provided at no cost. The face of RAWK is The Geological and Musicological Survey Co., a public storefront that helps support free programs. It also serves as an exciting portal to the brand new literacy center, and a new publishing center as well. The publishing center provides the capability to print and publish student books in-house. RAWK provides fun, positive experiences with reading and writing. Youth are encouraged to use their words and access their authentic voices, strengthening their skills to advocate for themselves and our community. To support this program, select Read and Write Kalamazoo on the grant suggestion form.
Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy Since 1991, Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy (SWMLC) has been conserving the scenic and ecologically important landscapes that give our region its natural character. Over the last few years, SWMLC has focused on creating public access to its 3,500+ acres of preserves to ensure that everyone has a place to connect with nature and enjoy its many benefits. Most recently, SWMLC has been working to develop programs, such as Hike Our Preserves (HOP!) program, that encourage children and families to get out into nature. With additional funding, SWMLC will be able to expand this program to create the Eastside HOP! program, which will provide underserved youth in the Eastside community with nature education and transportation to four different SWMLC nature preserves in and around Kalamazoo. Research shows that time in nature builds confidence, promotes creativity, teaches responsibility, and reduces stress. SWMLC wants these benefits to be available to all children in southwest Michigan. To support this program, select Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy on the grant suggestion form.
Orchestra Rouh | Photo Courtesy of Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra
Orchestra Rouh Orchestra Rouh, the newest of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra’s education initiatives, is celebrating its first anniversary in March. Orchestra Rouh provides multi-lingual music instruction and numerous community performing opportunities for children of Syrian refugee families in Kalamazoo. Rouh means “soul” and “spirit” in Arabic. The program was developed by two Kurdish-Iraqi WMU graduates, violinist Ahmed Tofiq and cellist Bashdar Sdiq, along with WMU Arabic instructor Hend Hegab. As part of the Arabic-speaking community in Kalamazoo, the three began helping Syrian families during their resettlement. They noticed that while parents were very busy dealing with securing housing and accessing basic needs and services, the children needed something to engage their minds and lift their spirits. Tofiq and Hegab approached the KSO in February 2017 to ask for help launching the program, and by March, students had instruments in their hands. The Suzuki Academy of Kalamazoo provides space. Meyer Music lends instruments for the program at no cost. Students attend three sessions per week, studying violin or cello, with orchestra rehearsals and percussion
classes on Fridays. Tofiq serves as project director, conducting the orchestra and teaching violin. Sdiq, who served as the original cello instructor, has returned to Iraq, but still Skypes with the cello students and their new instructor to celebrate their progress. Parents say they appreciate the program because their children already have a reputation for doing something special within the community. One father shared that when he took his child to a dental appointment, the dentist said, “Wait, didn’t I see you on TV? You’re a part of that orchestra, right?” The program benefits from the dedication of a network of volunteer drivers who are connected with the families through co-sponsor arrangements. KSO is actively fundraising for the program to support professional instructors and equipment, both through grants and individual giving. The program was recognized for excellence with a Carnegie Hall PlayUSA grant for the 2017-18 school year. To support this program, select Orchestra Rouh on the grant suggestion form.
Partners in Philanthropy / Spring 2018
Grant Suggestion Form To suggest a grant in support of one or more of the projects listed in this publication, please complete this form and return it to the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. You also may suggest grants online using Kalamazoo Connect at https://connect.kalfound.org or by emailing a member of our Donor Relations team. I/We would like to recommend one or more grants from the fund named below in the amount(s) indicated. I/We acknowledge that any grant suggestion made does not represent the payment of a personal pledge or other financial obligation, nor is any personal benefit from this charitable distribution expected. Name Fund Name Telephone Email
Signature Date
q Cradle Kalamazoo
$
q Northside Association for Community Development $
q Orchestra Rouh $ q Read And Write Kalamazoo
$
q Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy
$
Our Donor Relations Team Raven Britt / 269.585.7273 / rbritt@kalfound.org Coby Chalmers / 269.585.7249 / cchalmers@kalfound.org Joanna Donnelly Dales / 269.585.7260 / jdales@kalfound.org Ann Fergemann / 269.585.7238 / afergemann@kalfound.org Julie Loncharte / 269.585.7270 / jloncharte@kalfound.org
402 East Michigan Avenue
Kalamazoo, MI 49007-3888
t 269.381.4416
f 269.381.3146
e info@kalfound.org