Non-Profit

By Patricia L Lang, Professor Emerita, Chemistry MUNCIE, Ind.—It’s not Plunder and Lunge. It’s Ponder and Plunge, a woman-only stock club in Muncie, Indiana. The name says it all, with emphasis on the PONDER part. The club recently celebrated 50 years of stock investment education. The club was founded in 1971 by four accomplished Muncie women: Esther Ball, Thelma Hiatt, Martha Wickham and Aline Emens. All of these women began as teachers and had remarkable careers. Esther Ball served the war effort as a cryptographer, for example. All were associated with Ball State University, in Muncie Indiana.  All were long-time members…

By Lindsey Cox— MUNCIE, Ind.—The Food Council of East Central Indiana is spearheading a project this growing season in Delaware, Blackford, and Jay counties: Grow-a-Row. The project encourages local gardeners to donate excess garden produce to community partners that can distribute the produce to neighbors in need. Gardeners can purposefully Grow-a-row specifically for donation. Or, gardeners can also choose to donate their extra produce at the point in the summer when they’ve got so many veggies, they don’t know what to do with them all.  These can be home gardens, community gardens, school gardens, etc. Interested gardeners can indicate their…

By Kyra Zylstra— MUNCIE, Ind.—Robotics, drones, engineering, bookbinding, and more.  Join Madjax this summer for camps and workshops for students and families led by professional teachers. Camps will be held in Muncie and Anderson and will serve elementary through high school students and include options to learn as a family or with a mentor. Muncie Puppy Publications, June 13-27 Technology Career Exploration, June 27-30 Innovating with a Maker Mindset, July 11-14 Anderson Food Engineers, June 13-17 Robobusters, June 27-30 Drones and AgTech, July 18-21 The Muncie Technology and Engineering Network (MTEN), a regional collaboration between Madjax in Muncie and Purdue Polytechnic…

By Frank Braswell— MATTHEWS, Ind.—East Central Indiana Robotics, Team 1720 the PhyXTGears recently received a $10,000 grant from the Give to Grant Cycle through The Community Foundation of Grant County, Indiana, Inc. Thanks to this grant, East Central Indiana Robotics, Team 1720 the PhyXTGears is able to fund ongoing needs for registration and travel fees for robot competitions, and purchase robot parts. According to Meagan Mathias, Grants Manager for Community Foundation of Grant County: “The Community Foundation of Grant County is so pleased to provide this funding for East Central Indiana Robotics. From fueling students’ passions andlearning professionalism to participating in…

By Kristen McConnell— MUNCIE, Ind.—The YMCA of Muncie exceeded their annual campaign fundraising goal providing access to programs and opportunities to all in our community. Campaign Co-Chairs, Mark Foerster and Chris Walker, along with 70 volunteers, implemented a grass roots campaign that began in February with an in-person launch event and cumulatively raised over $173,000. Chris Walker, Campaign Co-Chair and Principal at Muncie Central High School, had this to say about the campaign, “The success of the annual campaign is a direct reflection of the value our community places on the YMCA. The Y is making our community better and everyone…

By Kim Williams— East Central, IN – Heart of Indiana United Way’s first Feeding Our Neighbors fundraising campaign, raised $17,207 to support local food pantries. The campaign, run during the month of April, was designed to address the region’s increased need for healthy food during this challenging financial time for many families. “The reality is that 1 in 8 Hoosiers struggle with food insecurity, and 1 in 7 are children. Pair that with the increasing costs for food and we know our local food pantries are seeing more families than ever before,” Heart of Indiana United Way President and CEO Jenni Marsh said. “Through this campaign, United Way was…

By Muncie Children’s Museum— MUNCIE, Ind. — The George and Frances Ball Foundation awarded $400,000 to the Muncie Children’s Museum More to Explore Campaign in 2020, designed to re-imagine and re-invigorate one of the community’s greatest treasures. Historically, Education and Youth have been the primary focus for the George and Frances Ball Foundation. In 2020, the Foundation awarded more than $2.9 million across 28 organizations focused on children, young adults, and educational attainment. The Muncie Children’s Museum was one of them. “We couldn’t be more grateful to the George and Frances Ball Foundation for its generosity and laser focus on…