These stories represent the kinds of change STARR creates every season in Auburn Gresham and beyond.
When a child in Auburn Gresham first walks into a STARR robotics session, they often have never touched a circuit board. By the end of the program, they are programming autonomous robots, presenting their builds to peers, and talking about engineering as a career. For youth in a neighborhood where 25% of residents live below the poverty line, this kind of hands-on exposure to STEAM fields does not just build skills; it reshapes what they believe is possible for their future.
STARR launched one of the only community-based FIRST LEGO League robotics teams in an underserved Chicago neighborhood. Teams established over a decade ago by our founder through AmeriCorps are still thriving today.
Education reform cannot rest on the shoulders of youth alone. Through STARR’s Parent Leadership Program, in partnership with Kids First Chicago, parents who came seeking resources for their children leave equipped to shape the systems that serve their communities. They gain training in advocacy, decision-making, and strategic planning, then use those tools to influence local policies, demand resources, and help design solutions tailored to their neighborhood’s specific economic needs.
By building the capacity of parents, STARR strengthens entire families, creating a supportive ecosystem where children can thrive across generations.
In neighborhoods where violence and economic barriers can isolate families, STARR’s annual STEAM-A-GANZA creates something rare: a safe, joyful gathering where grandparents, parents, and children stand together around telescopes, robotics tables, and a performance stage. Youth performers known as the STARR Agents take center stage to celebrate their accomplishments. Families leave connected to people and pathways they did not know existed.
Participants leave STEAM-A-GANZA inspired, informed about STEAM pathways, and connected to resources that support education, creativity, and long-term success.
What began as a single community-based robotics program in Auburn Gresham is now operating in four schools in Lagos, Nigeria. The same model, the same belief that access to STEAM can transform a child’s trajectory, has proven replicable across an ocean. STARR’s vision is not limited to one neighborhood or one city. We envision STEAM centers in underserved communities globally, hubs that raise household incomes, build generational wealth, and ensure no child’s potential is limited by their economic circumstances.
In summer 2026, STARR brought its STEAM Into the Future programming directly into 12 Chicago parks in partnership with the Chicago Park District, reaching more than 1,000 youth and their families. Robotics, astronomy, performing arts, and agriculture activities showed up right in the neighborhoods that needed them, removing the transportation and access barriers that too often keep families from reaching enrichment opportunities.
We are grateful to the organizations whose generosity makes this work possible.
Night Out in the Parks Program
STARR CSI is a proud funded partner of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks program, supporting free cultural and educational programming across Chicago’s neighborhoods.
Interested in becoming a funding partner? Learn how to support STARR →
STARR CSI operates with full accountability to the communities we serve.
All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. EIN available upon request.
Every staff member and volunteer undergoes a thorough background check before working with youth.
Financial statements are available upon request to donors, partners, and community members.
Every STARR program is, and always will be, no cost to enrolled families. No registration or supply fees.
