Stara Collaborative

10/13/2026

Knowing your worth can change how you move through professional spaces and how you advocate for yourself.

ELLAS creates space for Latine women to strengthen confidence, practice self-advocacy, and grow alongside others doing the same.

One alumna described ELLAS as helping her recognize the power of her own voice and the importance of using it to open doors for others.

Check out our framework at this link:
stara.org/ellas

Stara Collaborative

09/18/2026

A conversation with Alyssa Laney, Kennedi Wheeler and Vic Ledbetter

09/18/2026

A conversation with Channon Mondoux and Mélisande

09/17/2026

It’s good to make space for youth leadership! 💚

Last evening, Ardea leaders came together to sharpen their candidate questioning skills, discuss upcoming elections, and explore where candidates stand on critical climate solutions from renewable energy and data center regulations to affordable utilities.

09/16/2026

09/11/2026

Too often, people doing great work on the ground go unnoticed until someone says a few years later, “𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘭. 𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵?”

Local journalism keeps the good work growing and tells a story beyond announcements and pitches. We want to share close reads of articles that make room for people to talk about where the work came from and what it has taken to keep doing it.

And as we grow, we want to keep lifting up that reporting, too. We may even be getting more Stara staff to subscribe! ☺️

READ ABOUT:

🟢 Face Off Theatre Company
https://nowkalamazoo.org/2026/09/were-trying-to-build-community-community-needs-to-know-where-to-find-us/

🟢 The Village’s Chair
https://nowkalamazoo.org/2026/09/take-a-seat-in-the-villages-chair/

🟢 Can-Am Peace Jam / Canadiana Fest
https://encorekalamazoo.com/oh-canada/

AND SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM

🟣 Support NowKalamazoo
https://nowkalamazoo.org/support-us/

🟣 Subscribe to Encore Magazine
https://encorekalamazoo.com/subscribe/

We know there’s more! We know we can do better!

09/02/2026

Small businesses shouldn’t have to carry child care solutions alone.

Stara’s newest fiscally sponsored project, the Early Learning Innovation Hub, is looking for Kalamazoo County employers for a 1-year MI TriShare pilot designed to make child care more affordable for working families.

Through MI TriShare, the cost of child care is shared between the employee, employer and State of Michigan. In this pilot, eligible small businesses will be reimbursed for their employer contribution.

Your business may qualify if it:
⎯ Has 10 or fewer employees
⎯ Has less than $1 million in assets
⎯ Has operated in Kalamazoo County for at least one year
⎯ Can make the employer contribution before requesting reimbursement

Access to child care shapes who gets to work, whose jobs are sustainable, and which families have room to stay financially stable. This pilot is one way of sharing that responsibility more equitably.

Think your business may be a match? Check the link below or in the comments to confirm eligibility and learn what happens next.

🟢 https://lnkd.in/gXiwbGMN

The Early Learning Innovation Hub is a fiscally sponsored project of Stara Collaborative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

09/01/2026

What is a neighbor? According to Dictionary.com the root of the word is the Old English word “neahgebur,” which literally translates to “near dweller.” Michiganders have no closer “near dwellers” […]