Kalamazoo College Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement

Join the Kalamazoo College community when we celebrate Black Joy Week, June 1-5. Participate in some new and some returning activities as our campus has joy together and closes the academic year. Find additional information on a picnic, 3-on-3 basketball tournament, Wellness Wednesday, Throwback Thursday and a scavenger hunt in your campus email. Also, find more on a Cradle Kalamazoo fundraiser at https://ow.ly/XXG350Z1SwV and basketball registration at https://ow.ly/HU2Z50Z1SwU.

Don't miss a beat this week. Check out the full schedule of events for Black Joy Week at Kalamazoo College!

Consider supporting the Kalamazoo community even further by donating to Cradle Kalamazoo via the link in our bio! Cradle does incredible work to address gaps in support and healthcare for black families and to decrease black infant mortality rates and racial disparities for pregnancy and birthing healthcare for black families.

The Michigan “I Voted” sticker contest is back! After many entries from all over the state, you can now pick your favorites in three different categories! Be sure to scan the QR code and vote before the end of June!

On May 12th , KLIP (Kalamazoo Language Intercultural Partners)had the opportunity to support Kalamazoo Public Schools in their One World event! One World is a yearly tradition in KPS that celebrates all of the students and families in the newcomer program! Students had fun playing soccer, seeing the petting zoo, and watching performances done by Newcomer students! Thank you KPS for letting us support this fantastic event!

Last week we had the joy of celebrating Amelia Katanski, whose 20+ years of teaching, partnership-building, and community-rooted leadership have shaped the Center for Civic Engagement in profound ways. Her work has built programs, relationships, and learning experiences that continue to guide our community today. 

In recognition of the critical role Amelia played in developing community engaged courses, remarks were given from the CCE founders Alison Geist and Teresa Denton, along with community partners Laurel Wong, Pam Sotherland, Ben Brown, Bruce Mills, Kalamazoo City Planner Christina Anderson, and Amelia’s TA’s Arlo Getachew ‘27, Zoe Wilson ‘26, and Grace Barber ‘28.

Congratulations to the graduating Civic Engagement Scholars (CESs) of the class of 2026! Your empathy, dedication, perseverance and passion make the community-engaged learning and action not only possible, but meaningful and impactful. We wish them all the best as they transition into life after K.

Graduating senior CESs - Isabel Reyes, Nora Parks-Church, Aidan Martel, Ella Flourry, Lyrica Gee, Alyson Kemery, Gloria Jackson, and Hannah Parsons

Thank you for spending time with us and exploring what college life can be like!

Kalamazoo County Identification (KCID) participants gathered for the last structured reflection of the academic year with special guest, Jazmin Ortiz-Ash, Kalamazoo County Identification Program Coordinator and community partner of the CCE.
Participants reflected on the work they did for the year and brainstormed ideas to elevate the work of KCID on campus. In addition, we said goodbye to our dedicated seniors Jair Delgado, Molly Stevison, Estrella Arana, and Sophia Sprick. We wish them well on their next adventures. Thank you to all who participated in the KCID program in 25-26. See you next year!

See you on July 14th!

🚨 🚨 The CAPS 20th Anniversary Festival originally scheduled for Saturday, June 6th has been postponed and rescheduled to Tuesday, July 14th from 4:00-7:00PM due to expected rain and thunderstorms. 🚨 🚨

Everything is the same, except for the date and time! See you there! 🎉 We are so excited to officially kickoff our 20th Anniversary Celebration with a Family Fun Festival where it all started and continues, Interfaith Homes Apartments!

Join us for grilled burgers 🍔 and hotdogs🌭, music by DJ Chuck 🎶 💃🏾 🕺🏿, a photo booth by Ussies.co, a live petting zoo 🦙 🐐 🐴 🐥 🐖, an engaging Scavenger Hunt BINGO for the kids, a pop up interactive game, local authors station, and more!!!

🚨 If you are a CAPS Alum, we invite you to stop by and check in for information on our next celebration this Fall. Oh and have some fun while you’re there!