Non-Profit

By: Bonnie Smith— Muncie, IN—Psi Iota Xi Charities Inc. is pleased to announce its Philanthropic Grant Awards for 2019. These grants are funded from profits earned at The Bargain Box, 607 E. Charles Street in Muncie.  The Bargain Box is a resale shop operated and staffed by volunteer members of Psi Iota Xi Sorority. The purpose of the sorority is “the furthering of philanthropic, cultural and social enterprises” in our community.  This year’s grants totaling $18,000 were awarded to the following worthwhile organizations: A Better Way – $3,500 for upgrades to the kitchen and appliances at the shelter. The Alpha Center –…

By: Brenda Morehead— Muncie, IN—The 2020 season of Project Leadership’s ICE League will officially get underway Saturday, February 1st ,with a Draft Day for middle school athletes at Muncie Central High School. The Inner City Educational (ICE) League, in its fifth season, is an innovative initiative that motivates participants to be strong student athletes as they move toward high school and post-secondary educations. The ICE League ties in closely with Project Leadership’s mission to assist local students to and through college. Project Leadership programming, which includes 21st Century Scholar enrollment, places an emphasis on strong student GPA performance. Project Leadership’s…

By: The Radio Television Digital News Association— Most people probably have not heard of Fair Isaac Corp., but the company can affect the daily life of anyone who wants to borrow or rent. It’s the company behind the FICO credit score, and it just announced changes to the widely used credit scoring system. Forbes reports that average FICO scores are at an all-time high, but so is consumer debt, one reason for the updated model. According to Fair Isaac, the new FICO Score 10 and FICO Score 10 T could give some 40 million Americans a credit bump of 20…

By: A Voice For Kids— Muncie, IN—Muncie resident and Ball State student Matt Peiffer, a former child in Indiana’s foster system, has received a national award for helping other foster children get the extra support they need. Peiffer’s Muncie-based organization A Voice For Kids is one of 30 winners in T-Mobile’s second annual Changemaker Challenge, a contest that asks young people ages 13 to 23 to submit ideas to improve their communities. Peiffer’s inspiration for A Voice For Kids is his own experience in the foster system. He lived with his adoptive parents and two biological sisters for 13 years…

By: Jenni Marsh— Muncie, Indiana—In every iteration of Muncie Action Plan (MAP), community members identified developing a “mentoring program” as a priority. Yet, it has been one of the most challenging action items within the plan to address. “People want to be sure kiddos have mentors in order to prevent them engaging in risky behaviors, and they also want mentors for themselves,” said MAP Board President Jenni Marsh. Derek Peterson is an international speaker and founder of the Institute for Community and Adolescent Resiliency who has studied the value of positive adult role models and mentorship. Through his research for…

By: Juli Metzger— Muncie, IN—United Way of Delaware County, for the third consecutive year, surpassed its campaign goal, raising $1,506,070 million. The goal was $1.5 million. And the United Way Board of Directors, signaling its high regard for Pat Botts, a former long-serving board and committee member, who died last fall, named its volunteer of the year award in his honor. “Pat Botts was the kind of board member, volunteer—human being that the rest of us aspire to be more like,” said Jenni Marsh, United Way President and Chief Executive Officer.  Marsh shared at the campaign’s closing event Thursday that…

By: Kallie Sulanke— Muncie, IN—The Community Foundation is pleased to announce that $3,097,947 was granted to enhance the quality of life in Muncie and Delaware County in 2019. Most grants are awarded through permanently endowed funds that benefit our community today and always. Through the Quarterly Competitive grants program, non-profit organizations were awarded $992,055 in highly competitive grants. Grants address the broad needs of Muncie and Delaware County in the areas of arts and culture, community betterment, economic development, education, and human services. The Community Foundation received more than $1.4 million in requests this year. A committee of 12 volunteers reviews…

By: Amy Logan— Muncie, IN—The Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie raised more than $39,000 at the 2020 Great Futures dinner held on January 16 at the Horizon Convention Center in Muncie. The fundraising event helps fund many programs for Club members throughout the year. Guests were treated to the Club Kids’ favorite meal—breakfast for dinner. Throughout the evening, guests had the opportunity to interact with the talented Club Kids who showed off the programs they worked on during the year. The event kicked off with a pep rally led by the Clubs drumline and performances by the dance team….

By: Marta Moody— Muncie, IN—The Muncie Action Plan spent 2019 working to address the issues identified by the community during the MAP3 planning process. MAP’s five task forces have focused their efforts on Linking Learning, Health, and Prosperity (TF1), Fostering Collaboration (TF2), Strengthening Muncie’s Pride and Image (TF3), Creating Attractive and Desirable Places (TF4), and Managing Community Resources (TF5). As we start a brand-new year, we would like to share our successes as we approach our Annual Community Meeting on January 28th at Muncie Central High School from 5:30-7:30 PM. This is the final of five reports from our task…