By Erin Moore, BSU Office of Community Engagement—
Muncie, IN—All Muncie residents are invited to watch local advocates share our city’s story with the National Civic League for their 2020 All-America City Award at 12:45 pm EST on Monday, August 17. The performance will be livestreamed and available to the broader community from the League’s website and Facebook page.
The All-America City Award is the National Civic League’s flagship program. Started in 1949, the program honors ten U.S. communities each year for leveraging civic engagement, collaboration, inclusiveness, and innovation to successfully address local issues.
Muncie was announced as one of eighteen finalists in March. Since then, a number of local organizations have worked together on a final presentation for a jury of nationally recognized civic leaders. The presentation will be streamed live at facebook.com/AllAmericaCityAwardsor nationalcivicleague.org/2020-all-america-city-awards. The password MUNCIE may be required.
Award winners will be announced via Zoom on Wednesday, August 19 at 7:30 pm EST.
Jane Ellery, Board President of Sustainable Muncie Corporation, Senior Fellow with Project for Public Spaces, and Ball State Assistant Professor of Wellness Management, spearheaded the application process on Muncie’s behalf.
“Over the last few years, I have worked with some amazing national organizations to explore how we can think and act differently as a community to enhance wellbeing and health. I learned about this competition through the organization Wellbeing in the Nation and discovered that Muncie is highly qualified for the All-America City designation,” said Ellery. “When it comes to authentic community and civic collaboration, Muncie does a much better job than many other cities across the U.S. I am so proud of our community!”
Jane connected with multiple organizations, including the Muncie Action Plan, 8 Twelve Coalition, Whitely Community Council, and Ball State’s Schools within the Context of Community to share their successful efforts in collaborative community change. These successes include:
Web of Support: Muncie Action Plan, Sustainable Muncie, Muncie Community Schools, and the United Way of Delaware, Henry, and Randolph Counties have adopted the innovative Web of Support model to help all Muncie youth become resilient, caring, and productive adults. The initiative was launched in 2020 through open forums and two-day workshops for community leaders, teachers, and high school students from Muncie Central High School.
Community Engaged Change in the Whitely Neighborhood: For more than a decade, the WhitelyCommunity Council has collaborated with Ball State’s Teachers College faculty to develop this nationally-recognized, multi-disciplinary, immersive program. Over the course of a semester, Ball State pre-service teachers are immersed in the Whitely community to better understand the complex contexts in which children are growing and learning. View “I Am My Community,” a spoken word performance by Whitely’s Wilisha Scaife for pre-service teachers here. The video is featured as part of the National Civic League’s Cultural Entertainment Showcase.
8 Twelve Coalition: Greater Muncie Habitat for Humanity, in partnership with the Vectren Foundation, created the 8 Twelve Coalition in 2015 to drive neighborhood revitalization in portions of the Thomas Park/Avondale and South Central neighborhoods. Neighborhood residents drive all priorities and projects, while non-profit organizations and local businesses provide structure and support. In just a few years, the coalition has attracted significant investments of money, time, and other resources to advance the area’s vision and mission.
To learn more about the other 2020 finalists, visit nationalcivicleague.org/2020-finalists.
