Stara Collaborative

06/19/2026

We will keep it plain: One meaningful way to honor the day is by supporting Black-led organizations doing important work right here in Kalamazoo.

🟢 Black Lives Matter Southwest Michigan
https://lnkd.in/g8v43wkV

🟢 LifeHoops
https://lnkd.in/g4XFcvzy

🟢 Parenting Reimagined
https://lnkd.in/gSr6cb7T

🟢 Lean on Healing with Healing on Purpose
https://lnkd.in/gvbDtt6R

🟢 African Immigrant Resource Center
https://lnkd.in/gYKhP5kB

🟢 The Village’s Chair
https://lnkd.in/gT7MBTge

🟢 Face Off Theatre Company
https://lnkd.in/gUWduY-N

🟢 Fatherhood Network
https://lnkd.in/g2_-rpkV

🟢 V&B Community Development
https://vb-community.com/

Happy Juneteenth.

May we celebrate freedom, resilience, joy, and the generations of Black leadership that continue to shape our communities.

06/19/2026

06/19/2026

Although the Emancipation Proclamation was announced in 1863, it took more than two years and the continuation of the Civil War before slavery officially ended in all Confederate states on June 19, 1865.

Today, we celebrate Juneteenth and the continuous fight for freedom for all.

06/18/2026

06/18/2026

Stara exists to support people working to build power in their communities like Nichole Angel, of ELLAS (Empowering Latine Leaders and Advocates for Success).

She is a founder and graduated from the first cohort. She has since returned to coordinate the program, bringing communications, curriculum development, and organizational experience to the work.

Nichole draws on a background in advocacy, education, human resources, and change management. She supports everything from fund development and workshop logistics to alumni engagement and member recruitment.

With four cohorts and more than 75 leaders, ELLAS continues to ground Latine leadership in cultural identity and collective responsibility.

🟢 Learn more: https://stara.org/ellas

Alt text: Nichole Angel smiles as she enters an ELLAS program. Text reads “Leadership from the root. Four cohorts deep and still showing up.”

06/16/2026

Grassroots leaders deserve support from every corner, including local businesses.

LEAN On Healing with Healing On Purpose works with survivors of violent trauma, providing healing practices, holistic resources, and research-based care.

Kalamazoo Working Moms recently selected them as their nonprofit recipient. Every car purchase made through their Seelye Auto Group referral program generated a $200 donation to the organization.

Stara's fiscal sponsorship allows LEAN on Healing with Healing on Purpose to receive donations like this one above board while they stay focused on the people they serve.

🟢 Learn more about their work: https://www.stara.org/healing

🟢 Learn more about Kalamazoo Working Moms: https://www.facebook.com/groups/kzooworkingmoms/

Alt text: Lena Shorter stands in a parking lot holding a black tote bag printed with "Kalamazoo Working Moms" and "Seelye Auto Group." She is smiling, wearing glasses and a denim jacket, with a blue sky behind her.

06/10/2026

Face Off Theatre Company had ten years of shows before coming to Stara.

They’ve been producing cutting-edge work, centering artists of color, and earning the trust of Kalamazoo's arts community for a long time.

At Stara, we're in the background of the backstage: Legal structure, liability coverage, financial software, grant writing support.

Some evenings we hear rehearsals through the walls, some evenings we celebrate their success with a cookie cake.

🟢 See upcoming shows: https://www.faceofftheatre.com/

🟢 Donate: https://donate.mazloweb.com/donate/face-off-theatre-company

Alt text: Three people lean over a white table toward a decorated cookie cake with "Face Off forever" written in purple and white frosting. They are laughing.

06/08/2026

Mothers in Black and Brown communities are often parenting under disheartening conditions: economic instability, limited access to support, with stress that compounds over time.

Megan Allen built Parenting Reimagined to shift generational patterns. She has been working with mothers navigating recovery, economic instability, and life transitions since 2013 and hosted the first cohort last fall.

This six-week cohort is rooted in anti-oppressive practice, recognizing what mothers are carrying with curiosity and a safe community.

Stara Collaborative is in the background. Legal structure, liability coverage, financial software, grant writing support, and the compliance work that keeps everything running so Megan can stay focused on the mothers she serves.

🟢 Learn more: https://www.stara.org/parentingreimagined

Alt text: Close-up of a child wearing a pink shirt with a round Parenting Reimagined sticker on the chest. The sticker reads "Reflect. Repair. Rebuild" and "A sponsored project of Stara Collaborative."

06/03/2026

The 2026 ELLAS cohort spent six months practicing what leadership looks like when it starts from who you already are.

Ana Lilia Murillo is pictured here with her Legacy Madrina, Jazmin Ortiz, at the cohort 4 graduation this spring. Four cohorts in, over 75 Latine leaders have come through this program.

ELLAS runs six months of professional development and community grounding rooted in cultural identity, working through imposter syndrome and reconnecting with values like familismo and respeto.

Stara Collaborative is in the background. Legal structure, liability coverage, financial software, and the compliance work that keeps everything running so ELLAS can stay focused on the leaders it serves.

🟢 Learn more: https://stara.org/ellas

🟢 Upcoming event at ONEplace@kpl: https://www.kpl.gov/event/ellas-voices-collective-roundtable/

Alt text: Two women stand on a sidewalk in front of a brick building holding a framed ELLAS Certificate of Achievement. The woman on the left wears a black dress. The woman on the right wears a navy outfit.

05/11/2026

KZCF will continue to stand with the organizations doing the work that moves us towards making Kalamazoo County the most equitable place to live, and with the donors who want to be part of that journey.