Grantee Spotlight: Baseball Field Build-Out & Neighborhood Revitalization Sparked by Ball Brothers Foundation Grants Continues a Decade Later
MUNCIE, INDIANA — In the 1970s, the Garland E. Ross Recreational Center was a popular, bustling gathering place on the southside of Muncie. The city-run center was located in a proud working-class neighborhood where many residents were employed at the nearby Chevrolet plant and other local factories. Families celebrated birthday parties, baby showers, and other occasions at the Ross Center, and kids participated in a wide array of after-school educational programs.
The center was particularly well known for its youth baseball programs and community baseball fields.
Muncie Chevrolet Plant aerial view, circa 1950s-1970s. Photo: Ball State University Bracken Library Archives & Special Collections
Photo of Ross Center gym from the Muncie Star, March 16, 1974. Photo: Delaware County Historical Society
In the early 2000s, Muncie’s economy began to decline as the Chevrolet plant and other industrial plants closed their doors. These closures and the subsequent layoffs resulted in the deterioration of neighborhoods and communities. Local community centers shifted their focus to accommodate this new reality. The Ross Center, for example, began to provide school lunches and daily community meals to meet the challenges of poverty.
During the economic recession of 2008, however, the City of Muncie cut off funding to the center, leaving it in a difficult financial situation. For the next several years, the center was run by the neighborhood association and a dedicated core group of volunteers. It was not until 2011 that the Garland E. Ross Recreational Center officially became a self-sustaining nonprofit organization with a new board of directors and a new name: Ross Community Center. At the same time, Ball Brothers Foundation saw an opportunity to get involved in the revitalization of the Ross Center, its facilities, and the surrounding community. The Ross Center presented the perfect opportunity for the foundation to invest in a transformational effort in a key part of the city.
“With our deep Muncie roots, we were familiar with the rich history of the Ross Center, and we saw an opportunity to provide a spark to accelerate revitalization," said Jud Fisher, president and CEO of the foundation.
As a plan began to materialize, the Ross Center was able to purchase the old Chevrolet factory parking lots adjacent to its existing property to begin the project that would be at the core of its new life as a catalyst for neighborhood revitalization: a new sportsplex that would feature community baseball fields, youth and adult soccer fields, basketball courts and more.
In 2013, Ball Brothers Foundation awarded a $600,000 grant to kickstart the buildout of the sportsplex. Familiar with the neighborhood’s long-time love of baseball and popular youth tee ball and baseball programs that had been at the heart of the community’s identity for many decades, BBF funding first supported the construction of “first-class” baseball/softball fields.
The foundation used its voice to help the Ross Center secure funding from other local organizations that believed in the sportsplex vision, including IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital Foundation, Vectren Foundation, and others. Construction of the new baseball fields began in 2016, and the first two fields opened in 2018.
“Ball Brothers Foundation has not only been a major funder of the Ross Center and its projects since our partnership began in 2011, but they have also been influential advisors and strategic partners throughout the entire revitalization process,” said Jacqueline Hanoman, executive director of the Ross Center.
Ross Community Center sportsplex
In 2017, the Ross Center became a part of the 8twelve Coalition, a neighborhood revitalization initiative originally spearheaded by Greater Muncie Habitat for Humanity. As part of this coalition, the center became even more deeply engrained in the community and broadened the services it provided to neighborhood residents. Through these partnerships, IU Health Foundation in 2020 provided a community impact grant that totaled $1 million for local projects that focused on health, wellness, sports, improved housing, walkability in the neighborhood, and that accelerated the development of a business corridor at Hoyt and Memorial. A portion of this grant went towards new Ross Center sportsplex projects, including walking paths and soccer fields. The soccer fields also function as multiplex fields and can be used for youth football, lacrosse, ultimate frisbee, and more. The soccer fields will see play later this spring and a third baseball/softball field is nearing completion.
BBF has also provided a series of other grants to improve the general Ross Center facilities in addition to operating grants designed to support the center’s basic operating needs.
“Ball Brothers Foundation is deeply invested in helping Muncie become a place where both citizens and economic development thrive,” said Hanoman. “The foundation has not only funded these impactful sportsplex initiatives, but it has also always believed in our potential to create change in our community.”
Today—a decade after the foundation’s $600,000 grant was awarded for baseball field construction—the sportsplex is thriving. Youth sports programs attract neighborhood families and bring families from other parts of the city to play at the Ross Center. Because high costs put youth travel sports out of reach for many families, the Ross Center offers registration for $15 per player. They also offer scholarships for families unable to afford registration fees.
In addition to grants for athletic facility improvements, the Ross Center has received other impactful local funding over the past few years. The Community Foundation of Muncie & Delaware County helped with operational costs, as well as to fund a playground facility. Nearby Rose Park also received an initial grant from George and Frances Ball Foundation, with additional funding from Sherman & Marjorie Zeigler Foundation, that has transformed the park into a beautiful space for relaxation, learning and play, and has created arts and culture spaces.
“Ball Brothers Foundation has been at the core of the Ross Center’s transformation for the past decade,” said Jacqueline Hanoman. “The foundation’s impact on the center and surrounding community is not just a ripple effect, but a tidal wave. It is powerful and evident. We could not have secured funding from other foundations without the Ball Brothers’ initial investment and belief in our center.”
Moving forward, the Ross Center plans to build its funding base to support the next phases of development for the sportsplex which include modernizing the facility’s concession stand, building restrooms, and installing lights to allow for games to be played later in the evening hours.
Ross Community Center campus
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About Ball Brothers Foundation
Ball Brothers Foundation is one of the state’s oldest and largest family foundations. In 2022, the foundation made $10 million in grants to support arts and culture, education, the environment, health, human services, and public affairs. The Muncie-based private foundation gives priority to projects and programs that improve the quality of life in the foundation’s home city, county, and state.