More than two dozen community members completed the 70th Academy for Community Leadership in 2024. That milestone was celebrated on November 7 at Horizon Convention Center.

This unique, 10-week program is offered by the Greater Muncie Chamber of Commerce and Ball State’s Office of Community Engagement. Our own Suzie Jones co-leads the ACL each year with Brenda Brumfield of the Chamber.

Lucinda Stipp, the program coordinator for the Training, Resource & Advocacy Connector (which operates out of the OCE) participated in the ACL.

“I went into the ACL class unsure of what to expect, but it turned out to be an incredible experience from the very beginning,” she said. “I connected with individuals from all walks of life and gained new insights through the panels that highlighted Muncie and Delaware County. This class gave me a greater appreciation for our community and opened my eyes to how I can get involved. I truly believe everyone should take this class to discover the many layers of their community and find ways to make a difference.”

The program began in 1976 as a way to promote our community while providing valuable networking opportunities for participants.

Each week, the cohort met at a different Muncie/Delaware County location where they learned from local experts about a variety of topics including Muncie history; local government and politics; the role of religion in the community; community planning perspectives; business and economic perspectives; social, cultural, and artistic perspectives, and health services in the community.

Academy participants also split into groups and participated in volunteer opportunities at local nonprofits – Habitat for Humanity, Blood-N-Fire, Classroom Connections, Second Harvest and Red-Tail Land Conservancy.

As part of the celebration, groups gave presentations about their volunteer experiences and several representatives from those organizations were in attendance to cheer them on.

After the new ACL graduates received their certificates, Brumfield had a few final comments.

“As we go our separate ways today…one thing you can always take with you are the relationships you’ve built,” she said.

And Jones noted that it was now time for all of the graduates to “get out there and serve [your community].”

Look for information about the next ACL opportunity in 2025.