Non-Profit

By: Michelle Kinsey— Muncie, IN—The Muncie Arts and Culture Council (MACC) board is pleased to announce the appointment of its new executive director, Erin Williams. Williams, who has worked at the MACC for two years as the PlaySpace Residency Coordinator, replaces Braydee Euliss, who left MACC at the beginning of 2020. “As the first person to manage [PlySpace], Erin was instrumental in shaping it and connecting the visiting artists to the Muncie community,” said Betty Brewer, MACC board immediate past president. “Erin’s experience as an arts administrator, educator and an artist made her a natural choice to step up into…

By: Eileen Oaks— Muncie, IN— The Greater Muncie Habitat for Humanity is actively seeking qualified partner families who are interested in working with Habitat for Humanity to purchase a home. Qualified homebuyers help build their houses by putting in sweat equity hours, and then, purchase their house with a no-profit, no-interest mortgage. You may qualify if your current housing is inadequate or too expensive, or if you are unable to obtain a conventional mortgage. All partner participants must have the ability to pay the Habitat mortgage, which includes proof of steady income within the guidelines below. If you are willing to partner with Habitat, you must fulfill all partnership requirements for Habitat homeownership, such as: Completing sweat…

By: Ryan Remington— Muncie, IN—Through a joint effort, Bridges Community Services will open an emergency, isolation quarantine facility for all individuals experiencing homelessness who have tested positive or are presumed positive, for COVID-19 on May 5th, 2020. Partners in this project include Bridges Community Services, Inc., Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA), Muncie Community Development Office, the City of Muncie, the Delaware County Health Department, Delaware County Emergency Management, IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital, Heartland Ambulance Services, Open Door Health Services, Second Harvest Food Bank, and the Muncie Mission. This Safe Recovery Site will be managed by Bridges Community Services,…

By: Jud Fisher— Muncie, IN—As the number of COVID-19 cases continue to rise in East Central Indiana, Ball Brothers Foundation has awarded a $75,000 grant to the IU Health Foundation. The grant will support the needs of hospital employees in Delaware, Jay and Blackford Counties who are working around the clock to fight COVID-19.  More specifically, the funding will be used to provide team members in the East Central Indiana region with meals, including during night shifts when cafeterias and many restaurants are closed. Support will also ensure that the employee food bank at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital remains…

By: Kallie Sulanke, Community Engagement Officer— Muncie, IN— The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inc. awarded an additional $13,000 to eight non-profit organizations to support response efforts to the COVID-19 crisis.  Community Foundation staff continue to connect with and listen to the plans, challenges, and needs of a variety of vital community organizations across Delaware County. Decisions for this third round of response funding were made to come along side these vital community organizations with identified immediate needs related to the Coronavirus Pandemic. This is the third round of emergency response support totaling $47,000 since March 23.  Emergency Response…

By: Heather Williams & Megan Orbin, Muncie Action Plan— Muncie, IN—Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb enacted a “stay at home” order on March 25th, 2020 and that presented neighborhood associations with difficult questions. While most monthly meetings for March had already been cancelled or postponed due to social distancing concerns, how can associations help their residents if physical meetings cannot happen? What is the best way to keep spirits high without gathering? Facebook and NextDoor have become information hubs and leading digital communication tools for neighborhood residents to connect, share ideas, and reach out for help. The Minnetrista neighborhood used their…

By: Muncie Downtown Development Partnership— Muncie, IN – Muncie Downtown Development Partnership (MDDP), Muncie’s nationally-accredited Main Street organization and the face behind DWNTWN The Original Muncie, unveiled a new campaign this week. The campaign, DWNTWN United & Ignited, is a crowdgranting campaign designed to generate $25,000 in funding to be offered in the form of grants to qualifying downtown businesses.  Local businesses need your help now. United & Ignited offers a way to contribute what you can to preserve all that you love about DWNTWN. DWNTWN has long been a hub of community pride, bringing together people from all walks…

By: Lindsey Arthur— Muncie, IN—We hope you and your loved ones are doing as well as can be expected in this unprecedented time. As neighbors, we are called to our collective responsibility to stand in solidarity to do all we can to ensure the health and well-being of our staff, volunteers, supporters and community. We are actively monitoring the COVID-19 situation and taking steps to help keep our office, ReStore and construction sites safe. Per the Executive Order on April 6, 2020, by Indiana Governor Holcomb, Muncie Habitat ReStore will temporarily close. Recognizing that donations are key to our business,…