Non-Profit

By: Richard Crist— Muncie, IN—Muncie, Indiana based Youth Opportunity Center, Inc. recently welcomed John Dragoo and Lori Luther to their board of directors. John Dragoo is a Territory Manager for Flexsteel Furniture. In addition to nearly twenty years in the furniture industry, John has experience as a teacher and coach. Through his work experience and volunteering with youth over the last 23 years, he has developed a passion to see young people thrive. Helping children succeed and finding solutions for…

By: Jud Fisher— Muncie, IN—A grant totaling $160,000 to Purdue University was among the $3,656,341 in total grants the foundation awarded at its October board meeting. Ball Brothers Foundation approved awards to 17 organizations in its latest round of grants. The Purdue Polytechnic Institute grant will assist local Purdue officials as they partner in building a better workforce for Muncie and East Central Indiana. The programs the institute will provide include certificate attainment, associates degrees, a path to bachelors degree…

By: Michelle Kinsey— Muncie, IN —“Word” has it the MOM Celebrity Spelling Bee is back! Yes, it’s true. The second annual MOM Celebrity Spelling Bee is set for Nov. 9 at Townsend Corporation, 1015 W. Jackson Street. A pre-event reception will begin at 5:30 p.m. and the spelling will begin at 6. Teams will be competing for the prestigious traveling Celebrity Spelling Bee trophy. First Merchants Bank won last year and will try to hold onto its title as the best…

By: Morgan Dean— Muncie, IN – The Muncie Symphony Orchestra’s third classical concert of the 2017-2018 season will be performed Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. in Sursa Performance Hall. “I am excited to welcome Kenny Broberg back to Muncie to share the enormously demanding 3rd Piano Concerto of Sergei Rachmaninoff. He is truly a ‘rock star pianist’,” said Artistic Director and Conductor, Douglas Droste. Kenny Broberg is the 2017 Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition Award Winner and 2017 Cliburn…

By: Aimee Robertson-Fant, Neighborhood Organizer, Muncie Action Plan— Muncie, IN—In the face of national political discord and global unrest, citizens could choose to be powerless spectators, sitting on the sidelines, but such is not the case the community of Muncie.  Perhaps the silver lining and real power is found in citizens’ willingness to identify the outcomes they can influence in their own neighborhoods and communities by finding their local voice and focusing on what they can do to be agent…

By: Allison Gregory— Muncie, IN– With six weeks remaining in United Way of Delaware County’s 2017 campaign, early calculations show the non-profit is 47 percent of the way to its goal of $1.2 million. This milestone is slightly ahead of the campaign’s standing at this time last year—but there is much work left to be done. With nearly half of Delaware County living in or near poverty, Campaign Chair Casey Stanley has called on volunteers, staff, and community members to…

By: Juli Metzger— Muncie, IN—The Boys & Girls Club of Muncie invites you to meet our new CEO Jason Newman at an Open House from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9. Remarks will be at 5:30 p.m. The public is invited. Newman, who most recently was at a Boys & Girls Club in Philadelphia, brings experience in early childhood education, programming and fund development. The Open House will be held at the Madison Street location at 1710 S. Madison…

By: Rachel Hill Ponko— Indianapolis, IN—A project that touched each of Indiana’s 92 counties is the winner of a statewide award. The Indiana Historical Society (IHS) presented the Indiana Office of Tourism Development (IOTD) with its 2017 Bicentennial Collaborative Project Award for the Indiana Bicentennial Torch Relay. The Torch Relay, modeled after the Olympic Torch Relay, traveled more than 3,200 miles and engaged 2,242 Hoosiers, ages 4 to 106, as torchbearers. The route, designed by IOTD, highlighted the best of what…

By: Jud Fisher— Muncie, IN— Ball Brothers Foundation has selected John Craddock, President of the board of directors of Community Enhancement Projects as the 2017 winner of the John W. and Janice B. Fisher Governance Award. The award, which recognizes the outstanding service of a board member to a Delaware County nonprofit organization, was presented at the Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner on October 19. Craddock has served on the board of Community Enhancement Projects for over 20…