By Kelsey Harrington—
MUNCIE, IN—Cradle to Career Muncie and Muncie Community Schools are partnering to create new opportunities and promote existing avenues for community members to support MCS students and staff. Family and community engagement in our local schools is an essential strategy to support the development and achievement of learners. There is a role for everyone to play in the multitude of ways to invest time, treasure, and talent into MCS.
Alison Quirk, the district’s Volunteer and Wellness Coordinator, shares, “We all have a vested interest in the success of our schools, students, and teachers.” The support for our schools is not only about learners, but also about those who are committed daily to helping them succeed. She continues, “If our teachers feel supported and appreciated, our schools will see the benefits. Research tells us that when families and community members are involved, all students do better in school. Our community will reap the benefits of helping our students and our schools will reflect this success.”
Have you ever wondered how to get involved with supporting Muncie Community Schools? Two opportunities for immediate engagement include the Cradle to Career Muncie ‘A Team’ and the Big Idea Initiative through Second Harvest Food Bank. The ‘A Team’ was created as a result of the community wanting to increase teacher morale. The ‘A Team’ is a new group of consisting of community members who will be supporting individual schools on a monthly basis, celebrating and honoring teachers, seeking their feedback, and identifying ways, in partnership with schools and their teams, for the community to more comprehensively support them. To join the A Team, please contact Alison Quirk at alison.quirk@muncieschools.org.
The Big Idea Initiative through Second Harvest Food Bank, familiar to many as monthly Family Nights at every MCS school, is expanding their reach of support for families by collaborating with many more community partners. The comprehensive, collaborative spirit of the Big Idea, which was temporarily halted by the effects of the pandemic, is made stronger by community partnerships. The Big Idea is seeking community organizations who are interested in participating in events to share resources and offer career exploration opportunities for students and their families. To get involved with the Big Idea Initiative, please contact Molly Harty, Partnerships and Programs Manager at Second Harvest, at mharty@curehunger.org.
The Muncie Community Schools volunteer application and additional information can be found at https://www.muncie.k12.in.us/departments/communications/volunteer-information. To get involved in the collective impact efforts supporting collaborations like the A Team and Big Idea Initiative, consider joining the Cradle to Career Muncie Family and Community Engagement Collaborative Action Network (CAN). This CAN is lead by the YMCA of Muncie team. Please contact Kelli Petroviak at kpetroviak@muncieymca.org to get connected.
The George and Frances Ball Foundation serve as the backbone organization convening Cradle to Career Muncie. This collective impact initiative is data-driven and goal-oriented, organizing people and systems to collaborate and leverage evidence-based strategies to create community transformation. Family and community engagement is critical to overall student success from Cradle to Career. The Foundation’s President and CEO, Tom Kinghorn, shares, “Rallying the community’s support behind Muncie Community Schools, in an intentional and resourceful way, has the ability to not only drive student success, but lift up families, and boost teacher morale. Each and every one of us in this community has a role to play.”
Founded in 1937, George and Frances Ball Foundation was organized exclusively to promote charitable, scientific and educational purposes, with a strong commitment to the needs of East Central Indiana. The family is well known for their philanthropy and for numerous other accomplishments including championing education, collecting items such as rare children’s literature, and creating the Ball Jar Blue Book.
Honoring the family’s interests and legacy, the Foundation reviews and funds grants across 5 different focus areas including education and youth, civic enhancement, arts and culture, wrap-around services, and nature and historic preservation. The Foundation adopted a new proactive grantmaking strategy in 2018, which carries forward the education-focused legacy of George and Frances Ball with efforts to increase educational attainment through a community Cradle to Career Initiative.
To learn more about the Foundation or to find information about 2023 grant opportunities, please visit www.gfballfdn.org or find the George and Frances Ball Foundation page on Facebook.
