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2013 Sursa Award honors Douglass and Dale

Thu, 30 May 2013 07:00:00 -0400

Richard Douglass and Andrew Dale pose with the award display at the Foundation

The Community Foundation is proud to announce that Andrew Dale and Richard Douglass have been awarded the 2013 David Sursa Leadership Award to recognize their dedicated service to the Shafer Leadership Academy.

As Founding President, David Sursa blazed the trail for The Community Foundation. His visionary leadership contributed greatly to the success of the Foundation and to the generous support it has provided to our community. The award was established in memory of David Sursa’s outstanding contribution to The Community Foundation. The annual program rewards, recognizes and encourages extraordinary nonprofit leadership by a board member displaying the characteristics and commitment to community expressed by Mr. Sursa during his lifetime.

Mr. Dale and Mr. Douglass were nominated by Shafer Leadership Academy as founders and visionaries for what was then LEAD-ECI and is now Shafer Leadership Academy. Andrew Dale and Richard Douglass “had the vision” for Shafer Leadership Academy back in 2006. These two gentlemen worked in tandem to demonstrate tremendous vision throughout the existence of the organization including: very early discussions with key community leaders, gathering input from businesses and non-profit organizations, facilitating groups to determine our region’s greatest leadership needs, working with experts on curriculum development, creating the initial brand, and recruiting participants for each class. Both are founding directors and Andrew continues as an active board member now into the seventh year of the organization’s existence. Richard is Director Emeritus. Andrew served as Board Chair from 2009-2011 and both chaired committees in 2012. As Richard Crist, Executive Director of Shafer Leadership Academy noted in his nomination, “Andrew Dale and Richard Douglass together are an outstanding candidate selection for the David Sursa Leadership award for their vision, leadership and unwavering commitment to seeing the vision of Shafer Leadership Academy become a reality. Their example of servant leadership has contributed to the achievement of the mission, financial stability, planning and recognition of Shafer Leadership Academy. In short, Shafer Leadership Academy would not exist and our important work would not be done without the sacrificial leadership of Andrew Dale and Richard Douglass.”

Mr. Dale and Mr. Douglass were surprised with the award at the graduation ceremony of the current Emergence class, a program of the Shafer Leadership Academy. In their honor and to commemorate the award, The Community Foundation awarded a $1,000 grant to the Shafer Leadership Academy.

Programs address poverty and hunger in Delaware County

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0400

The statistics are alarming. Almost 80,000 residents of East Central Indiana won’t have enough to eat today; 16.8 percent of Delaware County’s population is impoverished; 78 percent of Muncie public school students qualify for free or reduced-cost lunches; and each month, $2.2 million in food stamps are distributed to county residents. Anyone who doubts that poverty and hunger are serious community issues needs only to drive past the parking lot across from the vacant Borg-Warner property on Ind.-32 and watch volunteers distribute 60,000 pounds of food at the twice-monthly tailgate grocery giveaway.

“The program has grown,” says Tim Kean, president and CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana, the sponsoring organization. “It started as a neighborhood kind of thing, then word got around and the needs increased. Now we typically serve between 750 and 1,200 families at each tailgate event.” The fastest growing segment of food bank clients is the working poor, according to Kean. These are persons with jobs that pay too little for families to meet expenses but too much for them to receive government assistance. “If they don’t qualify for food stamps they still can visit pantries and participate in the tailgate program,” explains Kean.

A Community Foundation grant of $15,000 has helped support the drive-through program that usually offers fewer choices but larger quantities than the pantries. Cars line up at 9 a.m. to receive an assortment of four to six items that often include an abundance of fresh produce. “The tailgate program is an efficient way we can distribute a huge amount of food in a short amount of time,” says Kean.

Second Harvest Food Bank and the Foundation are among several partners collaborating with TEAMwork for Quality Living to build awareness of poverty in Delaware County.

TEAMwork campaign call attention to poverty issues

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0400

A Foundation grant for $13,700 provided support for TEAMwork’s successful nine-day campaign last year to call attention to poverty and its impact on the community. Thirty events attracted 766 participants and prompted the decision to continue the effort through 2013.

“There’s a role for everyone,” says Molly Flodder, executive director of TEAMwork. “A hundred years ago, if someone’s barn burned down the whole community showed up with tools to rebuild it. We don’t do that anymore. We all need to think of ways to offer a hand up, not a handout.”

Flodder’s organization is planning dozens of events that will continue to acquaint residents with poverty-related issues. Among them are poverty simulations that invite each participant to assume the identity of an impoverished person and work through a series of challenges.

“For example, I might be given a nametag that says ‘Mary Smith,’” explains Flodder. “I’m told my husband has left me; I have two children; I don’t have a car; I’m three months behind in making mortgage payments; one of my kids has asthma, and I can’t afford his medications.”

The simulation occurs in a large room set up as the town of “Realville.” Tables represent various community organizations: the bank, the utility company, a pawn shop, the welfare department, a doctor’s office. “When the whistle blows everyone hurries from station to station and tries to work through the problems,” says Flodder. “Then we have a debriefing so people can share their experiences and frustrations.”

Other activities that worked well last year and are likely to be repeated this year include:

a bus trip to impoverished neighborhoods where participants take note of the abundance of cash-advance storefronts and liquor stores
a “food stamp challenge” that encourages participants to prepare meals within a food stamp budget
a film called “Weight of the Nation” followed by a tour of Second Harvest Food Bank

All events share similar goals: to help people understand the prevalence of poverty, consider its negative effects and discuss its possible solutions. “We need to stop and think about the growing burden that poverty places on service providers,” says Flodder. “Eventually that burden is going to impact the entire community. If you look at a community’s long-term sustainability, it’s like a three-legged stool. You have environmental, social and economic sustainability. There’s no way we are going to be sustainable into the future if we don’t get a handle on the issue of poverty.”

2013 1st Quarter Competitive Grants Awarded

skadinger@cfmdin.org (Suzanne Kadinger) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0500

The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inc. has announced that 19 grants totaling $382,196 have been awarded to local nonprofit agencies and groups in the Foundation’s first competitive grant cycle of 2013.

The grants are awarded in five areas of interest: arts and culture, human services, economic development, education, and community betterment.

First quarter grant recipients include:

A Better Way Services, Inc. received $35,000 (from the Jeanne & John Smith Fund and the Bassett Family Fund) to provide crisis services including a 24-hour suicide hotline, advocacy for sexual assault victims, and shelter and support to victims of domestic violence and their children.

Animal Rescue Fund received $6,000 (from the Faye Wingate Fund) to defray the cost of spaying/neutering pets of low-income families and for the vaccination of dogs and cats in ARF’s care.

Big Brothers/Big Sisters received $6,000 (from the Gordon & Pam Cox Fund) to support and expand the reach of its one-to-one mentoring services by recruiting, screening, training and supporting new volunteers who will be matched to children on the waiting list.

Boys and Girls Club of Muncie received $10,000 (from the Hamer D. & Phyllis C. Shafer Fund) to defray the cost of programming during the school year as well as summer programming at Heekin Park in collaboration with the city of Muncie and Muncie Parks and Recreation Department.

Daleville Community Library received $4,000 (from the Louisa & Waldo Beebe Named Fund) to defray the cost of hardware and software upgrades for staff and library patron use.

Delaware Advancement Corp. received $100,000 (partial funding from the Economic Development Fund, John & Janice Fisher Fund, Mary Kate Pingry Fund, Joseph & Janet Wilson Fund, Jane Harrell Buckles Fund, and Charles & Claudia Sursa Fund) to implement the Vision 2016 Economic Development Plan, which seeks to create 2,000 primary income jobs.
Delaware County B5-Early Childhood Education Initiative received $50,000 to defray the cost of the developmental phase of a multi-year project which will foster the development of Delaware County’s children to ensure full preparation for kindergarten.

Habitat for Humanity received $30,000 to carry out five home rehabilitation projects in 2013.

Ivy Tech Foundation, Inc. received $50,000 (from the Ball Community Betterment Fund and Edmund F. & Virginia B. Ball Fund) to support Ivy Tech’s capital campaign to provide a high quality learning environment.

LEAD-ECI, Inc. received $3,000 (from the Martin & Helen Schwartz Fund) to defray the cost of scholarships for the staff of nonprofit organizations to participate in the Emergence Leadership Program.

Motivate Our Minds received $20,000 (from the Morris Youth Fund) to defray the cost of supplemental academic programming and to provide scholarships for students at Motivate our Minds.

Muncie Alliance for the Prevention of Self Abuse (MAPA), Inc. received $5,000 (from the Stefan & Joan Anderson Fund) to defray the cost of roof repairs in the organization’s transitional home.

Muncie Civic Theatre Association received $30,000 to defray the cost of the restoration of the organization’s historic building.

Muncie Symphony Orchestra received $6,000 (from the KAKATU-David & Joanna Meeks Fund) to defray the cost of the 2013 Festival on the Green, an annual festival celebrating arts and culture in the Muncie community.
Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana received $10,000 (from the Gordon & Pam Cox Fund) to defray the cost of providing donated food and grocery products to food insecure residents of Delaware County through member agencies and the Tailgate Program.

Women in Business Unlimited, Inc. received $3,000 (from Mutual Federal Foundation Fund) to allow 100 women from local nonprofit agencies to attend the 2013 Catalyst for Empowering Women and a pre-event seminar on business etiquette.

Yorktown - Mt. Pleasant Twp. Community Library received $3,000 (from the Mutual Federal Foundation Fund) to implement a new wireless printing system and self-serve printing kiosk for library patrons.

Youth Opportunity Center received $11,196 to defray the cost of the After School Arts Program, an initiative that collaborates with Cornerstone Center for the Arts, Goldspace Theater, and Zumba instructors. The program exposes youth to the arts while developing self-confidence and pride.

In addition, the following grants were awarded by the Kitselman Fund, a donor advised fund administered by The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inc. Harry and Janet Kitselman were residents and civic leaders in the Muncie community. Per their wishes, the Kitselman Fund was created to award grants for the good of the people of Muncie and the surrounding community. Grants are awarded in the areas of fine arts, recreation, children, and the history of East Central Indiana.

Cornerstone Center for the Arts received $15,000 to defray the cost of programming support for the organization’s Art Education Program, including scholarships for underserved families to participate in arts classes.

Delaware County B5-Early Childhood Education Initiative received $7,000 to defray the cost of the developmental phase of a multi-year project which will foster the development of Delaware County’s children to ensure full preparation for kindergarten.

Muncie Parks and Recreation Department received $20,000 to purchase a heater for Tuhey Pool, thereby allowing the pool to have a longer swim season.

Muncie Symphony Orchestra received $10,000 to defray the cost of the 2013 Festival on the Green, an annual festival celebrating arts and culture in the Muncie community.

Youth Opportunity Center received $15,000 to defray the cost of education and wellness classes to approximately 160 residents on campus for a six-week period during the summer.

The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inc. is a publicly supported philanthropic institution governed by a volunteer board of local citizens. The Foundation manages contributions donated by individuals, businesses and corporations as a permanent community endowment. Distributions from these funds are given back to the community in the form of grants to nonprofit organizations and agencies. To date, over $35 million has been awarded to enrich the lives of the residents of Muncie and Delaware County.

The next application quarterly competitive grant application deadline is April 13, 2013.

Click here for Grant guidelines and applications, as well as post-grant reports. For more information, contact Suzanne Kadinger, Community Foundation Program Officer, at skadinger@cfmdin.org or by calling 747-7181.

A unique way of saying "thanks"

Sat, 12 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0500

Three years since "relocating" its assets to The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inc., the Maxon Foundation has invested more than $120,000 in area programs that serve youth, support education, feed the hungry and promote the arts. An international corporation with a long history of giving back to the community that hosts its operations, Maxon created its foundation in 1986 as its charitable arm. Even after the company was sold—it is now part of Honeywell—its foundation has continued to benefit Delaware County residents first as a stand-alone entity and more recently as a fund within The Community Foundation.

"Like a lot of family-owned businesses, Maxon Corporation was very community-minded", explains Charlie Hetrick, who joined the company in 1964 and retired in 2008 as president. Not only did the company distribute funds to local organizations through its foundation, but it also encouraged its employees to be actively involved in civic groups. This tradition of service, according to Hetrick, “was simply Maxon’s way of doing business.” It also was a tradition that didn’t end at retirement. Hetrick still serves on the boards of Minnetrista and Westminister Village and has been part of The Community Foundation’s Investment Committee since 2004.

Past foundation Chairman Bob Smitson and Hetrick played leadership roles in overseeing the Maxon Foundation and supporting the transfer of its assets to The Community Foundation. Today the Maxon Foundation Fund is one of several permanent endowment funds established by area businesses and corporations to benefit Muncie and Delaware County. Some funds, such as the MutualBank Charitable Foundation Fund, are categorized as “unrestricted” because they give The Community Foundation the flexibility to make grants as needed to address community issues and opportunities. Others, such as the First Merchants Bank Charitable Fund and the Old National Bank Charitable Fund, are “donor-advised” and enable a fund’s founders to recommend charitable programs and agencies as recipients of support. These recommendations aren’t binding, but the Foundation takes them under advisement in selecting grantees.

"We wanted to have some input as to where the Maxon money would go", explains Hetrick, who chairs the nine-member Maxon advisory committee that opted for a donor-advised fund. The group is made up of area business executives—active and retired—who represent the manufacturing sector and who understand the needs of the community. Some members have close ties to Maxon such as Rich Clasby, Bob Smitson, Kevin Boen, Jeff Lang, Steve Anderson and Bill Hughes. Newly elected board members, Steve Smith of Midwest Metals and John Littler of Littler Diecast, do not. All are active in the community and committed to supporting efforts to provide a bright future. With this in mind, they gather annually to consider the distribution of Maxon funds.

"The Foundation staff screens the grant requests and gives us a list of those requests that meet our criteria", says Hetrick. "We go through the list and select the recipients we think are appropriate. We also have the ability to propose ideas that we might like to support. After our discussion, we make our recommendations to The Community Foundation."

The Maxon Fund continues to grow, in part because of the investment decisions of The Community Foundation, and in part because Maxon employees, past and present, choose to make charitable gifts. A recent letter, signed by Hetrick and Clasby, updated Maxon friends on the Maxon Foundation grant-making activity since the move to The Community Foundation. Leading by example, the Hetricks—Charlie and his wife Charlotte—have included a gift to the fund as part of their personal estate plan.

"We’re trying to continue the work that the Maxon Foundation was originally set up to do,” says Hetrick. “As individuals, we’re not going to be here forever, but the fund provides an opportunity for people who might have worked at Maxon or were connected with the company in some way to keep the name alive."

Maxon Foundation Fund enables agencies to expand services

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0500

“We serve hot meals to about 150 persons five days a week, and we’ve never had a commercial oven,” says Roseanne Hughes, president of Harvest Soup Kitchen’s board of directors. “We’ve been operating for 18 years with a couple of standard kitchen stoves.” The organization’s recent efforts to upgrade its facilities were greatly enhanced by a $14,000 grant from the Maxon Foundation Fund at The Community Foundation. In addition to the stove, the group purchased a commercial-grade refrigerator and freezer. “In the past we’ve been offered large amounts of frozen foods but we couldn’t accommodate them because we had limited storage space,” explains Hughes. “Now we’re more efficient, which is good because the number of meals we serve has greatly increased.”

Two other Maxon grants are supporting programs that benefit area youth. The Muncie Symphony Orchestra received $5,000 to strengthen its educational outreach projects, and Muncie Boys and Girls Club added $10,000 to its general operating fund.

“We have a tradition of offering an annual free concert at Emens Auditorium for elementary school children in the county,” says Alena McKenzie, executive director of the Muncie Symphony Orchestra. “Last year we didn’t have enough funding, and the schools really missed it. Parents and teachers asked, ‘what can we do to bring back the concert?’” Thanks to the Maxon Fund, the event is now set for Jan. 30 at 9:30 a.m. A second symphony project that benefits from Maxon support is “Music on the Move,” that sends musical ensembles into the schools to introduce students to various instruments. “We’ve added a wind ensemble,” says McKenzie. “This enables kids to gain exposure to both string and brass groups.”

The Boys and Girls Club of Muncie will use its Maxon funds to defray costs of programs that already have yielded positive results. “Mitch’s Kids” measures reading and math skills before and after students take a standardized test. “We just received the academic success scores,” says Bill Greene, executive director. “Our kids have shown a 67 percent increase on their reading grade level and a 91 percent increase on their math grade level.” The Maxon grant also will help support a new mentoring program that matches 40 youth with 40 adults. Greene believes the program is likely to grow since attendance at the club has doubled in the past 12 months.

2012 4th Quarter Competitive Grants Awarded

skadinger@cfmdin.org (Suzanne Kadinger) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Grants totaling $46,300 have been awarded to local nonprofit agencies and groups in the Foundation?s fourth and final competitive grant cycle of 2012. The grants are awarded in five areas of interest: arts and culture, human services, economic development, education, and community betterment.

Fourth quarter grant recipients include:

Alpha Center received $17,800 to defray the cost of providing adult day care services to clients including meals, education, and entertainment.

Indiana Youth Institute received $3,000 (from the Charles V. & Claudia B. Sursa Fund) to support the organization?s efforts to provide nonprofit staff professional development to individuals serving youth in our community through the Youth Worker Cafe programs.

Middletown Arts Project received $2,000 (from the Endowment for the Arts) to defray the cost of the Muncie Youth Embrace Creativity program, an arts program offering classes in Suzuki Violin, interactive theatre, and creative dance.

Muncie Downtown Development Partnership received $10,000 (from the Edmund F. & Virginia B. Ball Fund) to support the Muncie Three Trails Music Series at Canan Commons, a new annual event which will present nationally known and critically acclaimed artists in four free concerts. The event will link to existing attractions/amenities associated with White River and Cardinal Greenways as well as the Muncie Arts and Culture Trail.

Muncie-Delaware Clean and Beautiful received $4,500 (from the Fisher Quality of Place Fund) to defray the cost of a spring clean-up event which will bring together community members and businesses to beautify the street medians around Muncie.

Planet Earth Singers received $3,000 (from the Mary Jane Sursa Fund) to defray the cost of a series of choral concerts featuring a varied repertoire of classical, popular, gospel, and folk music.

Ronald McDonald House of Indiana received $3,000 to provide lodging assistance to families from Delaware County who stay in the Ronald McDonald House while their children are receiving treatment at Indianapolis-area hospitals.

Muncie Southside Band and Guard received $3,000 in matching funds (from the MutualBank Charitable Foundation Fund) to construct a permanent band tower structure on the grounds of Muncie Southside High School.

The next application deadline is January 11, 2013.

Click here for grant guidelines and applications, as well as post-grant reports. For more information, contact The Community Foundation Program Officer, at skadinger@cfmdin.org or by calling 765-747-7181.

Robert P. Bell Teacher Creativity Grants Awarded

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Robert P. Bell grants totaling $2,721 have been awarded to local teachers for the first grant cycle of the 2012-2013 academic year. It is estimated that over 1,500 Delaware County students will benefit from these grants.

Sheri Watson, Muncie Southside High School, was awarded $134 for high school special education/life skills students to learn to recognize, count and exchange money in a real life situation by shopping in a grocery for the ingredients to make dog biscuits. Students will follow a written and picture recipe to prepare the dog biscuits. The finished dog biscuits will be counted, bagged and delivered to a local pet pantry to be given to pet owners in need of assistance.
Stephanie Lennon, Wapahani High School, was awarded $152 for ninth grade anatomy and physiology students to learn about the structure and function of human skin as well as diseases of skin. They will work in groups to design and construct a 3D model of human skin using an array of materials to enhance their knowledge about the complex structure of the organ.
Amy Cullum, Wes-Del High School, was awarded $96 for high school Spanish students to study the miraculous appearance of the Virgin of Guadalupe as part of their unit on Mexican history. Students will then explore a miracle that has occurred in their own lives and create a visual representation of the miracles on a canvas.
Amy Cullum, Wes-Del High School, was awarded $254 for high school foreign language students to use the Spanish they have learned to perform well-known children?s plays in Spanish for younger grades to promote language learning. Students will be in charge of all costumes, props, sets, and lines for performances of Finding Nemo and Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
Kandy Keller, Yorktown Elementary School, was awarded $449 for fifth grade students to study the benefits of education beyond high school by creating ?college suitcases.? Students will research various careers and study career choices and the educational requirements for various careers, institutions of higher education and the costs associated with college, as well as goal setting and financial budgeting. Students? research will be stored in their college suitcases for them to save for future years.
Sheri Watson, Muncie Southside High School, was awarded $449 for high school special education/life skills students to learn about healthy food choices. Students will shop for healthy snack choices and learn to recognize, count, and exchange money in real life situations. They will then sort, count, and bag items in an assembly line to create bags of trail mix. Students will then distribute the completed trail mix bags to classrooms throughout the school?s end of course assessment testing days.
Michael Evans, Cowan Community Schools, was awarded $443 for high school construction students to learn all aspects of the business of construction by competitively designing a project, submitting a ?bid?, completing an employment application, and constructing two truss bridges in the construction lab. Students will work in groups, each having a different role such as chief engineer or OSHA inspector. After the bridges have been constructed and the unit is over, the finished products will be dismantled and recycled into other projects for the construction students.
Nancy Swickard, West View Elementary School, was awarded $331 for elementary school art and music students to combine their music and art curriculum by designing and constructing simple musical instruments from wood and other durable materials. The project will emphasize using three-dimensional design to create an instrument that has the ability to create percussive sounds for performance. The instruments will be used by all of the school?s students in the Christmas Program and Spring Concert.
Lance Brand, Delta High School, was awarded $413 for high school biology students to study the viral transmission pathway. Students will use a gel visible under ultraviolet light to represent the virus and will analyze the virus?s transmission throughout the school. Students will collect data on transmission rates to see if they are impacted by gender, grade level, location, and hand washing rates. By allowing students to conceptualize how viral transmission is impacted by human behavior, they can connect what they have learned in class to disease transmission in the real world.

These grants were partially funded through a gift from the Jane E. Hughes Education Fund at The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County. As a lifelong educator, Jane taught for many years in Muncie Community Schools and spent part of her career with Ball State University?s Teachers College. Her family designated this gift in memory of Jane?s work and passion for educating the children of this community.

Bell Grants of up to $450 are awarded to teachers with innovative ideas, programs or projects designed to stimulate learning in their students. The deadline for the next round of grants in the 2012-2013 academic year is December 1, 2012.

For more information about Bell Grant applications, contact the Foundation Program Officer, or click here for more Information.

2012 3rd Quarter Competitive Grants Awarded

skadinger@cfmdin.org (Suzanne Kadinger) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 00:00:00 -0400

The Community Foundation has announced that 12 grants totaling $127,826 have been awarded to local nonprofit agencies and groups in the Foundation?s third competitive grant cycle of 2012.

The grants are awarded in five areas of interest: arts and culture, human services, economic development, education, and community betterment.

Second quarter grant recipients include:

College Mentors for Kids received $5,000 to provide college student mentors to 150 Delaware County students. The program introduces students to the benefits of higher education and the importance of giving back to the community.

Cornerstone Center for the Arts received $20,000 to defray the cost of providing opportunities for creative expression, educational programs and events in a historic setting.

Daleville Community Library received $5,000 (from the Hamer & Phyllis Shafer Fund) to provide new materials to the library?s fiction section to meet patron demand.

East Central Indiana Chamber Orchestra received $3,000 (from the Endowment for the Arts Fund) to defray the cost of three or more free concerts.

First Choice for Women received $10,000 (from the Morris Youth Fund) to defray the cost of educational programming for teenagers on sexual health to empower them to make healthy decisions.

Gallery 308 received $8,826 (from the Faye Wingate Fund) to defray the cost of a piece of public art to be presented to the City of Muncie.

Inside Out Community Development Corporation received $20,000 to defray the cost of a pilot training class to train students in the areas of culinary arts, building trades, business and life skills. Grant funds will also support the organization?s food rescue and repurpose program.

Muncie Arts and Culture Council received $20,000 to defray the cost of two interpretive sign plazas location in Downtown Muncie and the Heekin Park zones of the Muncie Arts and Culture District. The sign plazas will serve as gateways to the District from the Muncie Arts and Culture Trail and will direct residents and visitors to cultural offerings in the area.

Muncie Community Schools received $5,000 (from the Bassett Family Fund) to defray the cost of the 76^th Annual Community Christmas Sing.

Muncie Downtown Development Partnership received $6,000 to defray the cost of the grand opening celebration of Canan Commons, Muncie?s newest city park and downtown green space.

Muncie Innovation Connector received $5,000 (from the John & Janice Fisher Fund) to transform a currently underutilized office suite into a high-tech shared work space to be offered to Muncie area entrepreneurs and business owners.

Project Leadership Delaware County received $20,000 (from the Edmund F. & Virginia B. Ball Fund) to provide support to continue Project Leadership?s efforts to increase high school and post-secondary completion rates in Delaware County through scholar enrollment in the 21^st Century Scholarship Program, mentoring and college support services.

The next application deadline is October 12, 2012.

2012 Sursa Award honors Terry Walker

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 07:00:00 -0400

The Community Foundation is proud to announce that Terry Walker has been awarded the 2012 David Sursa Leadership Award to recognize his years of dedicated service to the Muncie Symphony Orchestra.

As Founding President, David Sursa blazed the trail for The Community Foundation. His visionary leadership contributed greatly to the success of the Foundation and to the generous support it has provided to our community. The award was established in memory of David Sursa?s outstanding contribution to The Community Foundation. The annual program rewards, recognizes and encourages extraordinary nonprofit leadership by a board member displaying the characteristics and commitment to community expressed by Mr. Sursa during his lifetime.

Walker was nominated by Muncie Symphony Orchestra for his years of leadership and service over ten years. During his decade of board service to the organization, he served in various roles including Treasurer, Vice President and President. Mr. Walker chaired the search team that successfully placed artistic and executive leadership and was responsible for more than one highly successful fundraising campaign. As Alena McKenzie, Executive Director of the Symphony noted in her nomination, ?Collaboration is at the heart of Mr. Walker?s leadership style. He harnesses individuals with very diverse backgrounds/agendas leading them to naturally partner in an almost organic fashion. Holding himself to the highest of standards, he expected the same of those around him. His leadership stabilized the highly respected organization that Mr. Sursa created more than 60 years ago, transforming it into the community inclusive and patron focused organization it is today.?

Mr. Walker was surprised with the award at Muncie Symphony Orchestra?s recent Festival on the Green concert. In his honor and to commemorate the award, The Community Foundation awarded a $1,000 grant to the Muncie Symphony Orchestra.