Non-Profit

By Sue Whitaker— MUNCIE, IN—The Muncie Altrusa Club hosted the winners of the Annual 4th Grade Essay Contest on March 16th at a luncheon at the Minnetrista Center.  The winners of the essay contest were Laynie McGuire, Albany Elementary; Shadow Hanser, Burris; Tahj Johnson, East Washington Academy; Selena Thomas, Royerton Elementary; Milyn Douthitt, Selma Elementary; and Abigail Byrd, Yorktown Elementary. Each student read their essay titled: “The Book that Changed my Life…” to the assembled group. Following the reading each student was presented with a certificate, a backpack filled with books and school supplies, and a gift card. Accompanying the…

By Megan Orbin— MUNCIE, IN—Woof Boom Radio and 104.1 HD1 WLBC take our role seriously as partners to those in the cities and towns we serve. WLBC continues to assist some remarkable organizations in making a difference in our community. The following organizations were chosen to receive the WLBC Hometown Heroes Grant: Delaware County Special Needs Prom/Events, April American Legion Post 321, May Delaware County CASA Program, June Open Door Health Services, July Roo’s Relief, August ecoREHAB, September Hillcroft Services, October Guardian Scholars, November FeedingTeam.org, December Classroom Connections of East Central Indiana, January 2024 Animal Rescue Fund, INC of Muncie,…

 By Kynda Rinker— MUNCIE, IN — Throughout their lives, Hamer and Phyllis Shafer invested significantly in the Muncie community. Organizations that created opportunities for youth, particularly disadvantaged youth, were close to their hearts. They strongly valued the arts, education, and wellness, and generously gave of their time and money to help grow foundational organizations within our community. Since the Muncie Children’s Museum’s opening in 1977, Hamer and Phyllis strongly believed in the value that MCM adds to our community. The Shafers demonstrated their support for the Museum’s first Capital Campaign over 25 years ago by serving as Honorary Campaign Chairs,…

By Stacey Shannon— MUNCIE, IN—With the mission of empowering the Muncie community through food-based initiatives, Inside Out has been serving healthy food to children since 2014. The local non-profit organization, which grew out of Blood-N-Fire Ministries, now serves 68,000 meals per year. Since one out of three children in the community are food insecure and around 18% of families are below poverty, Inside Out plays an important role in helping kids get healthy meals. Inside Out program administrator, Angelica Lasley said the organization serves more than 1,000 meals to well over 200 children per week by partnering with schools and…

By Robert G. La France— MUNCIE, Ind. —At 11:30am on Tuesday April 11, 2023, the Muncie Noon Rotary Club and Sunrise Rotary Club will celebrate the annual Very Important Volunteer Awards (V!VA) luncheon at the Horizon Convention Center. This year’s generous sponsor of V!VA is PrimeTrust Federal Credit Union. The V!VA Awards were developed as a gift to the Muncie community in 1993 by the Muncie Rotary Club to recognize Delaware County’s proud volunteer heritage. This year, five individuals will be recognized with traditional V!VA Awards for their volunteer efforts in Delaware County within the past 12 months. In addition,…

By Colleen Cooper, Altrusa Club Member— MUNCIE, IN—Altrusa International of Muncie, IN is hosting a Storytime Tea and Auction to raise funds for the District Six Club and Foundation to support local projects focusing on literacy, food insecurity, and meeting various needs in the community.  Lunch and tea will be served and the main focus will be participating in the lively auction featuring goodies supplied by members of the District Six Club as well as by the community. Tickets are sold individually and by table, so there are suitable arrangements for individuals as well as business, and large groups. A…

By Michelle Kinsey, Office of Community Engagement, Ball State University— MUNCIE, IN— “How many of you are at an IDEA conference for the first time?” Heather Williams asked the audience of more than 100 at the start of the eighth IDEA Conference on March 4. Dozens of people in the L.A. Pittenger Student Center ballroom at Ball State University raised their hands. Williams beamed. As the Associate Director in Ball State’s Office of Community Engagement, the program manager for Building Better Neighborhoods, the Muncie Action Plan (MAP) vice president, AND one of the organizers of the event, Williams was thrilled…

By Kelsey Harrington, Program and Analytics Officer— MUNCIE, IN—More than $365,000 was awarded to ten community organizations by the George and Frances Ball Foundation. On February 24th, members of the Foundation’s Board of Directors met to review and make funding decisions for first quarter requests. Many of the funded efforts will build the capacity and fuel strategic, collective action of Cradle to Career Muncie, a community-wide and equity-centered educational attainment initiative driven by more than 40 community organizations and facilitated by the George and Frances Ball Foundation’s staff. Cradle to Career Muncie brings together stakeholders to evaluate data, set goals,…