YWCA Kalamazoo is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.
YWCA Kalamazoo is your ally who is on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women, stand up for social justice, help families, and strengthen communities. The longest-serving YWCA association in Michigan, YWCA Kalamazoo provides individuals and families with victim-focused counseling and advocacy services as well as shelter for survivors of violence, transitional housing, and legal services. Our variety of family programs are designed to improve the lives of the most vulnerable population. We lead the way for system change in our communities.
In-kind donations are being accepted every Thursday from 9 am- 5 pm.
The Dreamery ChildcareProgram
YWCA Kalamazoo offers high-quality, early-learning childcare in two locations: The Dreamery at Edison and The Dreamery at Downtown. This innovative approach to early learning and childcare ensures academic readiness in the formative years and economic stability for working families. The drop-in program guarantees a safe environment when the unexpected occurs. The Dreamery at Edison is Michigan’s only comprehensive early learning center that includes 1st, 2nd, and 3rd shift care and 24-hour drop-in services
As policies change and corporate commitments ebb, we find ourselves in a dark night on the journey to racial and gender equity. Like the social justice leaders who came before us, we look to the stars. Unbothered by the nightfall, the stars burn to remind us that we will get through this darkness and reach a new tomorrow.
In just one week in office, the new administration has interrupted millions in funding at YWCA Kalamazoo. In an official memorandum from the Executive Office of the President, the President has declared a mandate for “ending wokeness,” and to cease funds that advance “Marxist equity” and “transgenderism.”
Already, immigrant families in our community face heightened danger and devastating fear. Survivors of violence in Kalamazoo – predominantly women, people of color, and parents with young children – have everything to lose. LGBTQIA+ community members travel in from across the region to find safety with us. And we all brace for the violence at our doorstep.
Our neighbors need us now. We are all being tested. Now.
The need to organize will only grow. If you have ever found safety with YWCA, we need you now. If someone you love has found safety with YWCA, we need you now.
We will continue to share updates, events, and opportunities for impact, and will issue calls to action as the landscape unfolds. We will remain in partnership to help meet this community’s greatest needs, because for 140 years, YWCA has known Kalamazoo to choose light when darkness falls.
We hope you will be the stars in your homes, neighborhoods, communities, social media feeds, and workplaces. We hope you will light the path to equality by joining YWCA Kalamazoo in this historic year of equity work.