Shared Prosperity Kalamazoo (SPK) is a bold and ambitious plan to transform our community into a place where every adult and every child thrives and prospers. Our vision is of a community where no adult and no child is isolated or left behind due to poverty and/or inequality of opportunity. This vision is not limited to only growing financial assets, but all assets. Everyone has assets. Everyone has qualities that are valuable and useful to our community. It is important that all people are given opportunities to grow whatever assets they possess and gain whatever assets they need to be successful. Shared Prosperity Kalamazoo is a campaign to transform the culture of the city so that it truly becomes the City of Promise for everyone. Its fundamental purpose is to create more broadly shared prosperity and eliminate generational poverty in Kalamazoo.
Learn more in the pdf Shared Prosperity Kalamazoo Action Plan (2.44 MB) .
Steering Committee
The activities of Shared Prosperity Kalamazoo are guided by a steering committee consisting of:
- Mayor Bobby J. Hopewell
- City Commissioner Don Cooney
- Dr. Timothy Ready, Western Michigan University Lewis Walker Institute
- Laura Lam, Assistant City Manager
- Ben Damerow, W. E. Upjohn Institute, Employment Management Services Division Director
- Kevin Ford, Shared Prosperity Kalamazoo Coordinator
- Dorla Bonner, Community Development Manager
- Sean Fletcher, Director of Parks & Recreation
- Matt Lynn, Director of Community Impact, United Way of Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Region
Contact
If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for Shared Prosperity Kalamazoo, please let us know. You can reach SPK by mail to City of Kalamazoo, City Manager's Office, 241 W South Street, Kalamazoo, MI 49007 or by completing the form below.