2024 MAP Annual Report to the Community

A woman in a gray sweater with her arm around a child in a black hoodie. They are holding a chalkboard on which is written "Welcoming and Open Community!"

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2024 AT 6:00 PM 

Annual Report to the Community Muncie Action Plan (MAP) invites YOU to MAP’s Annual Report to the Community. Join us on Wednesday, January 31st at 6:00 in the Indiana Room at Minnetrista Museum and Gardens for a look back at the last year of MAP activities and learn about the exciting things to come in 2024. 

Incoming MAP Board President, Heather Williams, will present updates on the 2023 MAP activities with highlights from each Task Force leader.

We had a blast at this year’s Bridge Dinner!

Article and photos by Michelle Kinsey, Communications Manager, Office of Community Engagement

“It’s my favorite event of the year.”

It’s a comment you hear often at Muncie’s Fall Bridge Dinner.

And what’s not to love?

This year’s event, on Sept. 21, brought hundreds of community members to the Washington Street Bridge on a beautiful evening to enjoy great conversation, music, and the beautiful views of the White River.

There was music (provided by a DJ), food vendors, Muncie-loving merch sellers and, new this year, an opportunity to get up close and personal with the river in a Canoe Country kayak.

The long community tables were decorated with fall leaves, created by art students at Burris Laboratory School.

Thanks to everyone who made the Bridge Dinner possible: Muncie Action Plan, Shafer Leadership Academy, Ball State Office of Community Engagement, Muncie Downtown Development Partnership, Ivy Tech Community College – Muncie, Riverside-Normal City Neighborhood Association, Old West End Neighborhood Association, Open Door Health Services, Polcz Volbrecht Homes at RE/MAX Real Estate Groups, Muncie Community Schools, Canoe Country, and Words with Jas.

Generous support for the event is provided by Community Foundation of Muncie & Delaware County, Greater Muncie Chamber of Commerce, Muncie-Delaware County Economic Development Alliance, Muncie Central JROTC, Walls Furniture, and Woof Boom Radio.

2023 $2 Tour of the Village is back!

Header Image for the event that gives the event details written out below and shows a man giving the peace-sign after getting dunked last year

Looking for something fun to do or just want to see what the Village has to offer? 

When: August 26 from 4-8 PM
Where: The Village in Muncie

2023 $2 Tour flier (pdf)

Live music and huge discounts on items ranging from FREE to just $2!

The Riverside-Normal City neighborhood association is excited to host a $2 tour of the Village! Participating Village merchants will be offering $2 items that range from an Art Mart goodie bag to a hard-shell taco at Chavas or a $2 t-shirt from Screenbroidery. Live music will begin at 4:00 PM on a stage at the intersection of Dill St and University Ave.

This event will showcase local village businesses while promoting the Riverside-Normal City neighborhood and its unique features, like the neighborhood’s prime location between Ball State, downtown Muncie, and Minnetrista!

Bonus:

  • The first 500 attendees will receive a Village Passport.  Collect 5 stamps to be eligible for prizes donated by participating Village merchants.
  • The first 100 attendees will receive a $2 bill!

Sponsors:

This free event is sponsored by Ball State University, Ball Brothers Foundation, Muncie Action Plan, Muncie Map Company, and the Riverside-Normal City Neighborhood Association.

Be My Neighbor Day returns June 10 to downtown Muncie

Two little girls hold signs saying why they love Muncie nexted to a graphic with information on Be My Neighbor Day

Welcome back, Neighbors!

MUNCIE – Won’t you be our neighbor?

Ball State PBS’s Be My Neighbor Day is returning to downtown Muncie!

Join Daniel Tiger for an afternoon of free fun 1-4 p.m. Saturday, June 10, at Canan Commons. The event will also include more than 20 booths (neighbors) offering hands-on activities – from sunflower planting to rock painting to puppet making – for the whole family.

This will be the first in-person Be My Neighbor Day since 2019 (the fifth anniversary) and the start of the pandemic (in 2020).

“We are so excited to bring Be My Neighbor Day back as an in-person event this summer,” said Dr. Phil Hoffman, General Manager of Ball State PBS. “We have really missed seeing all of our neighbors together, enjoying a beautiful day in the neighborhood!”

Highlights:

  • Meet Daniel Tiger!
  • Dance along to music by the Atomic Sharks!
  • Visit our great neighbors from arts organizations, community centers and other awesome non-profit groups!
  • Enjoy performances by Muncie Ballet and Youth Symphony Orchestra, too!
  • Pick up your very own Be My Neighbor Day tote bag packed with goodies!

Based on the animated PBS KIDS show “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” and with a nod to “Mister Rogers Neighborhood,” this event focuses on the importance of being neighborly.

Be My Neighbor Day is presented by Ball State PBS, Midas, and the Ball State Office of Community Engagement, with major support from Wilhoite Family Dental, Lifestream Services, The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inspire Academy, and Heart of Indiana United Way.

For more information, go to www.ballstatepbs.org.

Spring 2021 Ball State Immersive Learning Projects

Student studying the back of a solar panel

Ball State faculty, students, and community partners worked together this spring on a number of immersive learning projects in and around Muncie.

Anthony Northside Neighborhood Living Quality
Faculty Mentor:  Jason Yang, Department of Geography
Community Partner:  Muncie Action Plan, Anthony Northside Neighborhood Association

Brightfield to Bright Future
Faculty Mentor: Sanglim Yoo
Community Partner: Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter

More to come!

Spring 2020 Ball State Immersive Learning Projects

Ball State faculty, students, and community partners worked together this spring on a number of immersive learning projects in and around Muncie.

Academy of Model Aeronautics Video Project
Faculty Mentors: Tim Pollard, Department of Telecommunications; Suzanne Plesha, Office of Immersive Learning
Community Partner: Academy of Model Aeronautics

Assigning the Living Quality of Muncie Neighborhoods Using Remote Sensing and GIS
Faculty Mentor:  Jason Yang, Department of Geography
Community Partner:  Muncie Action Plan

Beneficence Records (ongoing)
Faculty Mentor:  Daniel Porter, Department of Music Media Production
Community Partner:  Indiana Public Radio

Capturing “The Big Idea”
Faculty Mentor: Melinda Messineo, Department of Sociology
Community Partner: Second Harvest Food Bank

Geospatial Design Laboratory
Faculty Mentor: Jörn Seemann, Department of Geography
Community Partner: Muncie Visitors Bureau

Halteman Park Landscape Architecture Studio Project
Faculty Mentors:  Chris Baas, Jeremy Merrill, J.P. Hall; Department of Landscape Architecture
Community Partners:  Halteman Village Neighborhood Association, City of Muncie, Muncie Parks Department

Human Rights Symposium
Faculty Mentor: Ruby Cain, Department of Educational Studies
Community Partners: City of Muncie Human Rights Commission, Industry Neighborhood Association, Whitely Community Council, Muncie Public Library, Muncie Housing Authority, It Is Well With My Soul, DePaul University School of New Learning and Service Engagement Projects, Northeast Indiana Workers Project, Inc.

i-Made (Indiana Made) Muncie:  Custom Fabricated Design-through-Production (ongoing)
Faculty Mentor:  Kevin Klinger, Department of Architecture
Community Partners:  Indiana Hardwoods (IHLA), Midwest Metals, Minnetrista, Mobile Market

The Junior Producers Club
Faculty Mentor:  Christoph Thompson, School of Music
Community Partners:  Boys and Girls Club, Buley Community Center

Muncie Neighborhood Visual Identity Design (ongoing)
Faculty Mentor:  Shantanu Suman, School of Art
Community Partners:  Building Better Neighborhoods, Muncie Action Plan

Preserving the Past and Looking Toward the Future:  Historic Preservation and Digital Storytelling for a Muncie Landmark Church
Faculty Mentor:  Peggy Fisher, Department of Communication Studies
Community Partner:  St. Mary Catholic Church

Renovation of Residential Structures
Faculty Mentor: Janet Fick, Department of Construction Management and Interior Design
Community Partners: ecoREHAB, Urban Light, and Brothers 2 Brothers

Sustainable Muncie Project:  Assessing Sustainability for the City of Muncie
Faculty Mentor:  Sanglim Yoo, Department of Urban Planning
Community Partner: Muncie Action Plan

Teen Dating Violence
Faculty Mentor: Ron Dolon, Department of Social Work
Community Partner: A Better Way

Tourist Maps for Muncie and Delaware County
Faculty Mentor: Jörn Seemann, Department of Geography
Community Partner: Muncie Visitors Bureau

Urban Health in Muncie, IN:  Pb in the Soils (ongoing)
Faculty Mentors:  Carolyn Dowling, Department of Geological Sciences; Jessi Haeft, Department
of Natural Resources and Environment Management
Community Partner:  United Way of Delaware County

Well Connected 
Faculty Mentor:  Jane Ellery, School of Kinesiology
Community Partners:  Muncie Action Plan, Future of Work/Sustainable Muncie, George and Frances Ball Foundation

Working with the Whitely Community to Identify Needs and Resources of Men who are Reentering the Community After Periods of Incarceration
Faculty Mentor:  Keisha Warren-Gordon, Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology
Community Partner:  Whitely Community Council