Articles by Mike Rhodes

By: WaTasha Barnes Griffin— MUNCIE, IN — The Coalition of Women’s Organizations will have its annual Women’s Equality Day program at 5 p.m. on Aug. 26th. The celebration will honor six local women who have made significant contributions to the community. The program will be a live virtual event.   The year 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing and protecting women’s constitutional right to vote. The passage marked the largest expansion of democracy in the history of our country. This event will…

By: Andrea McDermott— Muncie, IN—Web of Support: Everybody Succeeds, a mentoring initiative of the Muncie Action Plan, uses a relational approach to help youth and adults identify, expand, and strengthen their support systems. This spring, Web of Support Ambassadors participated in a four-week virtual “Deep Dive” series to explore how the Web of Support model can help build resiliency in families and communities during the COVID quarantine. The groups have created sharable postcards and informational videos to spread messages of…

By: Claire Downes— Muncie, IN—Allison K. Bell, daughter of the late newscaster, Steve Bell, and his late wife Joyce Bell, joins Cornerstone Center for the Arts in Muncie, Indiana as President and Chief Executive Officer starting August 3, 2020. Bell will bring a new vision and innovation in arts education classes at the arts center. She, and her team of directors, will host classes in-person and virtually in areas of music, art, dance, theatre, and wellness. Bell will explore new…

By: Eileen Oaks— Muncie, IN—“Revitalization work in Muncie’s South Central and Thomas Park/Avondale neighborhoods continued despite, and in some circumstances, fueled by the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to a generous grant from General Motors,”according to Jena Ashby, Muncie Habitat Director of Impact & Programs. The $25,000 grant received from General Motors in the fall of 2019,was used to help resident-driven and partner-organization projects that supported neighborhood needs. “General Motors funding proved vital as the effects of the COVID-19…