Non-Profit

By: Susan Fisher— Muncie, IN—All Muncie Public Library branches are closed and all events, programs, and meeting room events are cancelled until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Customers are urged to use the online resources available at the MPL website. Online resources include hoopla and overdrive, two services that provide ebooks, movies, and music. These services require a library card but people can “try out” hoopla without a library card and download up to 3 items. Other databases that assist in genealogy research and non-profit grant research have also opened access to their information. Visit the library website…

By: Jason Newman, CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie— Muncie, IN—Our community has always helped and supported each other in times of need. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie is finding this time is no different. Our Clubs, our members, our staff, and our community have committed to doing whatever it takes to support and help our families through this unprecedented time. Mr. Rogers once said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”…

By: Dee McKinsey— Muncie, IN—Muncie Pride, celebrating the LGBTQ community, has scheduled an event from 1-8 p.m., Sept. 19 at Canan Commons. It will feature a stage show with bands and performers, in addition to educational opportunities, merchandise vendors, food trucks and a beer garden. As part of this event, a $1000 and $500 scholarship will be awarded based on a 2,000 word, or less, essay about the origins of the gay pride flag.  Applicants must be currently enrolled in either high school in Delaware County or a student of a collegiate institution living in the Muncie area. The deadline…

By: Ball Brothers Foundation— Muncie, IN—Over the course of the past two weeks, Ball Brothers Foundation has awarded more than $100,000 to organizations on the front lines of fighting COVID-19 in Muncie and Delaware County. Funding is focused on meeting the needs of healthcare providers and emergency responders, including hospital employees, ambulance services, health clinics and law enforcement officers. “Right now, we know that preventing the spread of COVID-19 is absolutely critical to protecting the lives of residents. Our initial funding for COVID-19 is helping to ensure that front-line workers have the resources they need to do their jobs: caring…

By: Jenni Marsh, President & CEO, United Way of Delaware, Henry and Randolph Counties— Muncie, IN—These are tough times. But on days when you feel most helpless, you actually have the most power to help others. Like the people of east central Indiana have always done in times of crisis, we can rise to the challenge, supporting the most vulnerable among us. As events are cancelled, sales plummet, and businesses shutter, our communities’ struggling working families face sudden economic challenges. Workers are losing wages and tips. Kids are missing school and the critical interactions and web of support they have there. Parents…

By: Shafer Leadership Academy— Virtual Programming begins on Thursday, March 26th. Muncie, IN—Muncie non-profit Shafer Leadership Academy is offering free virtual leadership development programs to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We need leadership now, more than ever” said SLA Executive Director Mitch Isaacs. “In uncertain times people look to their leaders to provide calm, clear, and competent guidance.” Isaacs explained that many leaders have found themselves operating without a road map. It is his hope to provide local leaders an opportunity to discuss how to best serve their communities and organizations. “Leaders need a place to gather in order learn…

By: Kallie Sulanke— Muncie, IN—The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inc. awarded $20,000 to 12 non-profit organizations to support response efforts to the COVID-19 crisis. Last week, Community Foundation staff had the opportunity to connect with and listen to the plans, challenges, and needs of a variety of vital community organizations across Delaware County. Decisions for this initial round of response funding were made in an effort to come along side these vital community organizations with identified immediate needs related to the Coronavirus Pandemic. Emergency Response Grants in the amounts of $1,000 or $2,000 have been awarded to…

By: Juli Metzger— Muncie, IN—There is progress to report in the latest available statistics that measure trends among Indiana’s youth, experts said at the recent Indiana Youth Institute State of the Child in Muncie. Cigarette use among Indiana’s youngest is on the decline, and the number of children in working-poor households is going down, for example. The number of high-quality early childhood programs is on the rise, statewide. But statistics also show that vaping is on the rise among young people and children Indiana infants are more likely to die in their first year than those in 43 other states. Nearly…