CASE Statement

The Oakwood Neighborhood Association provides a weekly senior drop-in program.  In this atmosphere, attendees naturally establish a social network for mutual support.  Seniors develop friendships with ample opportunity to discuss public safety and quality of life concerns, developing solutions to any issues at hand and knowing help – and friends – are nearby.
We offer a five day-a-week After School Tutoring program to provide a safe place for youth to reach their full potential. This program offers parents a low-cost alternative to after-school child care.
Our Summer Youth Art Program provides six weeks of art and music enrichment for youths. It also gives neighborhood teens an opportunity to give back and gain leadership experience.
The neighborhood center offers a food pantry and other resources for neighbors in need. We also provide computer access for job searching and resume development. Our knowledgeable staff provides neighbors a direct link for city and community resources.
We partner with Building Blocks of Kalamazoo to assist neighbors in beautifying and maintaining their homes while building neighbor relationships.
We work with the City of Kalamazoo, the Kalamazoo County Land Bank, the Kalamazoo Nature Center, and local volunteers to maintain green spaces, including the native species management at Woods Lake, a neighborhood playground, a community garden, and more.

Our hands-on executive director works to ensure effective coordination of needs & services. Oakwood focuses on community advocacy, from serving individual needs to providing a voice for the neighborhood’s expressed needs to the greater community, city, and county.

The center is available for classes, meetings, and gatherings of any type. Oakwood neighborhood association events and services are communicated via our ongoing neighborhood newsletter and social media. Neighbors rely on our newsletter for the community calendar and new neighbors learn about the Oakwood Association offerings.

The Oakwood Neighborhood Association relies on individuals who volunteer to make our neighborhood a welcoming community. Volunteers provide support cleaning up our Memorial Beach Park, keeping our recreational areas clean and safe for our youth, and keeping our neighborhood beautiful through programs such as Building Blocks.

Our network of community partners goes even further and includes many local business and organizations. Currently, and in the past, we have volunteers from Lakeside Academy, Building Blocks of Kalamazoo, Oakwood Business Association businesses, Fletcher’s Pub, Modern Woodmen of America, WMU’s Alpha Lambda Delta, local community churches, multiple neighborhood associations, and many neighborhood residents.

We rely on our volunteer network in order to carry our mission of “Neighbors helping Neighbors”.

To serve the community, Oakwood maintains an ongoing operation with a neighborhood center open 4 days a week. Neighborhood residents can use the computer lab, check out books from the lending library, and attend classes like yoga.

The neighborhood center provides a link to community resources when residents are not sure where to turn for help. The food pantry provides assistance to all residents. Our partnership with the City of Kalamazoo Parks and Recreation for after-school tutoring provides much needed assistance to children in the community on a path to college with the Kalamazoo Promise.

The Oakwood Neighborhood center also serves as a community gathering place for holiday parties and summer events to bring neighbors together for happy and joyful times.

• Seniors. Benefit our senior programs by attending and increasing the social network that Oakwood seniors enjoy.
• Youth and Parents. Participate in after-school tutoring or summer youth art drop-in. Meet your children’s friends at a neighborhood party.
• Donors. Benefit the community at large with a donation to our building campaign fund. Ongoing operations and maintenance will reinforce our ability to continue offering all services. You can also contribute general donations and voice your program of choice, be it senior programs, youth programs, food pantry, or habitat restoration (green spaces programs).
• Food Pantry. Our community benefits from your participation, whether you give or receive.
• Green Spaces. Enjoy the outdoors? Stewardship of our shared land? Find your space in Friends of Woods Lake, Tot Lot, Kalamazoo County Land Bank, Oakwood Memorial Beach cleanup, and our community garden.
• Oakwood Neighborhood Center Library. If you enjoy displaying and preserving historical information and sorting reading materials, the Oakwood Neighborhood library could interest you. There is a lending library for kids and adults and the Center has a growing collection from bygone days related to this historic Kalamazoo neighborhood, including old photographs from the Oakwood Amusement Park at Woods Lake.
• Computer Lab. Apply your skills by helping others with technical or job search talents, support our shared Internet services, or use our center to work on your resume and job search.
• Building Blocks. Interested in home improvements? Volunteer as a site supervisor or participate with neighbors – on your block or theirs – as we continue to maintain and beautify the neighborhood with this successful program.
• Network. Other interests? Have great ideas? Leverage our network to extend your own. Bring your talents to an existing program, recommend a new one, or just stop by as a neighbor among neighbors. Anything is possible, with your show of support!

At Oakwood, neighbors recognize that our livelihoods are interdependent. Our association’s offerings are designed to support the neighborhood’s longtime mission: providing a beautiful, safe, friendly, and vital neighborhood for the benefit of all residents and the greater community at large.