August 2024: Construction Underway, Grantee Spotlight: Rony's Story, and more
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New Downtown Muncie YMCA on Track to Open Spring 2025
Construction of the new 73,000-square-foot YMCA on the Muncie Central High School campus is well underway. In our latest Q&A, Chad Zaucha (President and CEO of the YMCA of Muncie), shares more about the construction timeline and how the building will spark vitality in this part of the city.
Bonus: Chad also shares updates on Camp Crosley renovations and an exciting new nature play area called "Wonder Woods" under construction at the YMCA's Mitchell Early Childhood and Family Center.
Grantee Spotlight: Rony's Story
A decade ago, the idea of a hotel in downtown Muncie that would also serve as a training institute for individuals with disabilities was a dream.
Fast forward to today and the Erskine Green Training Institute has impacted over 300 students, offering a 10-12 week college-like, residential experience at the hotel that also prepares students for careers in front desk operations and housekeeping for the hospitality field, kitchen prep for the restaurant industry, and patient transport for medical settings.
Read the inspiring story of Rony Warner, an EGTI graduate, whose journey in the program led him to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital.
A Big Thanks
A big thanks to over 100 grantees, community leaders, board members, and others who took the time to complete our communications survey this summer.
The survey results will help us to: tell the stories you'd like to hear, help you know who to contact at the foundation, provide tips for applying for grant funding, and more.
Summer isn't quite over...
We're holding onto the last few weeks of summer, the best season for Minnetrista's Farmers Market, outdoor concerts in downtown Muncie, and more. Catch up on what the BBF team has been up to including:
Checking out TeenWorks' summer program which offers teens their first summer jobs (and more)
Visiting MCS' Longfellow Elementary, home to the MP3 after-school program and summer site for Motivate Our Minds
Putting on our boots and heading over to the Delaware County SWCD Drainage & Erosion Day to learn about conservation efforts that are making a difference
Stopping by campus to welcome Ball State students, see the new #InIndiana banners, and say hi to Benny
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