Non-Profit

Hamer D. and Phyllis C. Shafer Foundation Provides Grant to Muncie Children’s Museum

 By Kynda Rinker— MUNCIE, IN — Throughout their lives, Hamer and Phyllis Shafer invested significantly in the Muncie community. Organizations that created opportunities for youth, particularly disadvantaged youth, were close to their hearts. They strongly valued the arts, education, and wellness, and generously gave of their time and money to help grow foundational organizations within our community. Since the Muncie Children’s Museum’s opening in 1977, Hamer and Phyllis strongly believed in the value that MCM adds to our community. The…

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‘Inside Out’ Addresses Significant Need of Local Children

By Stacey Shannon— MUNCIE, IN—With the mission of empowering the Muncie community through food-based initiatives, Inside Out has been serving healthy food to children since 2014. The local non-profit organization, which grew out of Blood-N-Fire Ministries, now serves 68,000 meals per year. Since one out of three children in the community are food insecure and around 18% of families are below poverty, Inside Out plays an important role in helping kids get healthy meals. Inside Out program administrator, Angelica Lasley…


2023 VIVA Award Luncheon Tickets Now Available

By Robert G. La France— MUNCIE, Ind. —At 11:30am on Tuesday April 11, 2023, the Muncie Noon Rotary Club and Sunrise Rotary Club will celebrate the annual Very Important Volunteer Awards (V!VA) luncheon at the Horizon Convention Center. This year’s generous sponsor of V!VA is PrimeTrust Federal Credit Union. The V!VA Awards were developed as a gift to the Muncie community in 1993 by the Muncie Rotary Club to recognize Delaware County’s proud volunteer heritage. This year, five individuals will…


Join Altrusa International of Muncie for Their Storytime Tea & Auction 

By Colleen Cooper, Altrusa Club Member— MUNCIE, IN—Altrusa International of Muncie, IN is hosting a Storytime Tea and Auction to raise funds for the District Six Club and Foundation to support local projects focusing on literacy, food insecurity, and meeting various needs in the community.  Lunch and tea will be served and the main focus will be participating in the lively auction featuring goodies supplied by members of the District Six Club as well as by the community. Tickets are…


It Was a ‘Full House’ at the 2023 IDEA Conference

By Michelle Kinsey, Office of Community Engagement, Ball State University— MUNCIE, IN— “How many of you are at an IDEA conference for the first time?” Heather Williams asked the audience of more than 100 at the start of the eighth IDEA Conference on March 4. Dozens of people in the L.A. Pittenger Student Center ballroom at Ball State University raised their hands. Williams beamed. As the Associate Director in Ball State’s Office of Community Engagement, the program manager for Building…


George and Frances Ball Foundation First Quarter Grants

By Kelsey Harrington, Program and Analytics Officer— MUNCIE, IN—More than $365,000 was awarded to ten community organizations by the George and Frances Ball Foundation. On February 24th, members of the Foundation’s Board of Directors met to review and make funding decisions for first quarter requests. Many of the funded efforts will build the capacity and fuel strategic, collective action of Cradle to Career Muncie, a community-wide and equity-centered educational attainment initiative driven by more than 40 community organizations and facilitated…


Nonprofit Support Network Announces New Peer Groups and Spring Programming

By Carly Acree King, Nonprofit Support Network— MUNCIE, IN —Nonprofit Support Network is excited to announce the kickoff of 2023 Network Huddles, which will dive into topics relevant to the needs of nonprofits serving Muncie-Delaware County. Network Huddles are free peer group meetings hosted and facilitated by Nonprofit Support Network. The Huddles provide a supportive and collaborative environment that allows nonprofits to connect with peers and learn from each other. The new topics include community food service, board leadership, and shared…


Madjax Offers Unique Spring Workshops for All Ages

By Emily Helms — MUNCIE, IN—Muncie-area residents will have an opportunity to take part in unique workshop offerings this spring at Madjax. From March through May, the community hub will offer beginner-friendly classes in digital design, woodworking, musical instrument making, and projects for the home and backyard. Many of these classes are suitable for all ages, from families with school-age children through seniors. Starting March 18, Madjax will host 13 evening and weekend classes run by our Makers and Educators in…


Register Now for Muncie State of the Child, March 29th

By Juli Metzger—  MUNCIE, IN—Join Indiana Youth Institute (IYI) for an expert analysis of the latest child-focused data from their 2023 Indiana KIDS COUNT® Data Book on Wednesday, March 29 during IYI’s annual Muncie State of the Child presentation. This year, the event is followed by a special, two-hour grant clinic for youth serving organizations applying for the $45 million Lilly Endowment initiative, Strengthening Youth Programs in Indiana (SYPI). Registration for each event is required. Indiana ranks 28th in the…


Embrace Equity On International Women’s Day, Wednesday March 8th

By Juli Metzger— MUNCIE, IN—International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. The day has occurred for well over a century, with the first​ ​IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. Prior to this the​ Socialist Party of America, United Kingdom’s Suffragists and Suffragettes, and further groups campaigned for women’s…