Topic: Administrative
August 30, 2018

A child poses in front of a Ball State themed background and has her photo taken during one of the Centennial Celebration Road Show stops.
Ball State University is taking its Centennial Celebration to South Bend on Sept. 7, the eve of its football game against Notre Dame.
Ball State’s Centennial Celebration Road Show will make a stop from 5-9 p.m. as part of Downtown South Bend’s First Fridays. Ball State staff will offer cupcakes and giveaways. Guests can pose for selfies against a special photo backdrop and help assemble literacy kits, including a children’s book and craft, for the United Way to distribute to local families.
Delaina Boyd, director of the Office of Community Engagement, said guests will discover there is more to Ball State than they may think.
“We hope people will get to know us better and see how we’ve built on our roots as a Teachers College to become a world-class University,” she said. “Along with the fun, we hope our guests will volunteer to assemble literacy kits and join us in supporting the United Way’s goal to help end the cycle of generational poverty through early childhood education and literacy.
“Social responsibility is a core Ball State value. It’s so important to us that it’s part of the Beneficence Pledge that we encourage every member of the University community to follow. Since our founding in 1918, Ball State has done more than educate students. We’ve served our neighbors.”
Those kits won’t have far to travel. The United Way of St. Joseph County will have space next to Ball State’s roadshow.
“We are so excited to have Ball State as a partner in our efforts to collectively reduce poverty in St. Joseph County,” said Laura Jensen, the organization’s president and CEO. “This is the perfect example of how we are not defined by our geographical boundaries or industries when it comes to making a lasting difference in the lives of so many. I am proud to be a Ball State grad and to live out the Beneficence pledge every day through United Way.”
The South Bend event is part of Ball State’s yearlong Centennial Celebration.
By Kim Rendfeld, Senior Communications Strategist