Community Projects

Find information about community projects below happening at locations on- and off-campus. You can also volunteer to help by donating items for the hygiene product and book drives prior to the day of the event.

Register to Volunteer

Projects happening before September 9

Bring unused personal hygiene products (e.g., travel shampoos, soap, body wash, toothpaste) to share with local shelters and schools. Collection sites will be available August 18 – September 7 at the following locations:

  • Atrium food court (entrance near bookstore)
  • Administration Building, Room 326
  • Alumni Center
  • Arts and Communication Building, Room 200
  • Ball Honors House, Front Desk
  • Ball Gym (main entrance)
  • Burkhardt Building lobby (west end by the bulletin board)
  • College of Architecture and Planning (second floor lounge)
  • Jo Ann Gora Student Recreation and Wellness Center (south doors)
  • Robert Bell Building (lobby)
  • Miller College of Business (main entrance)
  • North Quad Building lobby (ground floor/east hall)
  • Pittenger Student Center, north entrance
  • Showalter Building (Facilities Planning and Management office)
  • Teachers College (main entrance near the elevators)
  • West Quad Building (Room 203)

List of Items needed
(please provide new, not used items)

  • Blankets
  • Pillows
  • Toiletries
  • Toothpaste/toothbrushes
  • Soap
  • Razors
  • Underwear/undergarments
  • Clean socks
  • Water bottle
  • Gift certificate to fast food
  • Hand wipes
  • Pack of Kleenex
  • Maxi pads
  • Nail clippers
  • Band aids
  • Chap stick
  • Comb or small brush
  • Mints, cough drops or gum

Donate gently used books for all ages to help Muncie BY5 stock more than 35 Little Free Libraries in Delaware County. Collection boxes will be available August 18 - September 9 at the following locations:

  • Atrium food court (entrance near bookstore)
  • Administration Building, Room 326
  • Alumni Center
  • Arts and Communication Building, Room 200
  • Ball Honors House, Front Desk
  • Ball Gym (main entrance)
  • Burkhardt Building lobby (west end by the bulletin board)
  • College of Architecture and Planning (atrium and second floor lounge)
  • Jo Ann Gora Student Recreation and Wellness Center (south doors)
  • Robert Bell Building (lobby)
  • Miller College of Business (main entrance)
  • North Quad Building lobby (ground floor/east hall)
  • Pittenger Student Center, north entrance
  • Showalter Building (Facilities Planning and Management office)
  • Teachers College (main entrance near the elevators)
  • West Quad Building (Room 203)

Put together personal hygiene kits, to be distributed by local shelters and schools and make inspirational cards for the Snack Attack Pack and Literacy Kits.

  • Time commitment: Thursday, September 8 from 11:30pm – 1:30am
  • What to wear: Your UW Day of Action 2022, comfortable shoes/pants
  • Project will take place in the Atrium dining area 

On-Campus Projects on September 9

Assemble 200 literacy kits – Includes a free children’s book, craft ideas and supplies, and other resources – to help family members encourage reading and learning at home.

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour between Noon – 3:00pm
  • What to Wear: Your UW Day of Action 2022 shirt, pants, and comfortable shoes
  • Project will take place at Emens

Assemble over 1,000 snack packs for local elementary schools to distribute to kids who rely on school meals and snacks for basic nutrition.

  • Time commitment: 1 hour between the hours of 9:00am – 11:30am
  • What to wear: Your UW Day of Action 2022 shirt, comfortable shoes/pants
  • Project will take place at Emens

Put together fleece scarves, hats, and blankets for babies and children. Items will be donated to local shelters. No experience necessary.

  • Time commitment: 2 hours. 9:00am – 11:00am OR 12:00noon – 2:00pm
  • What to wear: Your UW Day of Action 2022 shirt, comfortable shoes/pants
  • Project will take place at Emens

Off-Campus Projects on September 9

Classroom Connections of ECI (formerly Back to School Teachers Store) operates East Central Indiana’s non-profit educational resource center for under-resourced pre-K through 12th grade classrooms. Volunteers will help prepare 3,600 children's books to be distributed during this year's BSU Homecoming Parade in October.

  • Time commitment:  9:00am – 12:00 noon -OR- 1:00pm – 4:00pm
  • What to wear: Your UW Day of Action 2022, comfortable shoes/pants, masks optional
  • What to bring: Bottle of water
  • Transportation: On your own - 1318 S Madison St, Muncie, IN 47302

Join a “pop-up” reader team and read to children at a local daycare. Volunteers will be paired up and assigned to a daycare; each volunteer will read one of two books (provided) and donate them to the daycare. Training is provided and background checks are required.

  • Time commitment: Half hour training at 8:30am; then daycare reading at 10:00am
  • What to wear: Your UW Day of Action 2022 shirt, comfortable shoes/pants
  • Transportation will be on your own

Volunteers will be helping clean up the facility from Summer Camps and to prepare for the school year. Volunteers will be cleaning out gutters, raking up leaves, and cleaning up the trails and ropes courses. Camp Adventure is a program of Muncie Community Schools that brings children outside to learn about science and literacy. Ball State University partners with Camp Adventure to bring learning and fun to children at this amazing outdoor learning facility.

Volunteers are encouraged to bring closed toe shoes, comfortable clothing, and sunglasses. Bug spray, sunscreen, gloves, bottled water, and all tools necessary for the job will be provided. If volunteers have small hands and would like to bring their own gloves, that would be encouraged.

  • Time commitment:  9:00am – 12:00 noon
  • What to wear: Your UW Day of Action 2022, closed toe shoes/comfortable clothing
  • What to bring: Sunglasses
  • Transportation on your own: Camp Adventure, 4881 S CR 325 W, Muncie

The Cardinal Greenway provides more than 60 miles of paved trail for healthy outdoor activity and will be gearing up for Walk Indiana scheduled for September 10. Tasks will include installing tree description signs, trash pickup, cleaning, painting benches, etc. at one of numerous sites along the greenway.

  • Time commitment:  9:00am – 12:00 noon -OR- 1:00pm – 3:00pm
  • What to wear: Your UW Day of Action 2022, comfortable shoes/pants
  • What to bring: Water, sunscreen, and gloves
  • Transportation: Volunteers will be responsible for their own transportation to the Cardinal Greenway Depot, 700 E. Wysor Street, Muncie (possibly other entry sites along the Greenway)

Join us at any Muncie Community School to engage in a range of indoor and outdoor tasks—from sorting paperwork to weeding and painting. Many hands make light work, and all skill levels welcome.

This event is in partnership with Muncie Clean and Beautiful and MCS-BSU Connections, which pairs each Ball State College with a Muncie school for collaboration and support.

  • Time commitment:  9:00am – 12:00 noon -OR- 1:00pm – 4:00pm
  • What to wear: Your UW Day of Action 2022, comfortable shoes/pants
  • What to bring: Water, sunscreen, and gloves
  • Transportation: Volunteers will be responsible for their own transportation to one of our local schools

Help to increase the attractiveness of our local dog park. Volunteers will help build and install protective shelters over the park benches in which we will be installing new slats. We will also be installing a Little Free Library and bulletin board in the park. In addition, we will freshen up planters that were installed during the 2019 Day of Action and fill in a row of tulips from the 2021. The dog park is a walkable distance from campus, behind Fraternity Row.

  • Time commitment: Half day, 9:00am – 12:00 noon -OR- 1:00pm – 4:00pm
  • What to wear: Your UW Day of Action 2022 shirt, comfortable shoes/pants
  • What to bring: Water, and sunscreen
  • Transportation: On your own, you can walk the short distance from campus or drive.

Volunteers will be provided literature to read to daycare youth to educate about healthy fruits and vegetables. The Muncie Food Hub Partnership Food Truck will be on site to pass out produced sourced locally. Youth, teachers and family are welcome to attend to learn about healthier eating and local markets. There will be two morning locations and two afternoon locations.

  • Time commitment:  9:00am – 12:00 noon -OR- 1:00pm – 4:00pm
  • What to wear: Your UW Day of Action 2022, comfortable shoes/pants, masks optional.
  • Transportation: On your own / carpool

Do you play a musical instrument, sing, or have another creative talent to showcase? Many nursing homes and assisted living facilities have had very limited entertainment for its residents over the past couple years. This year we are excited to be able to perform LIVE for nursing homes and assisted living residents in the area. We’re looking for people willing to travel to a center around Muncie to share their talents with the residents.

  • Time commitment:  varied throughout the day- likely afternoon-
  • What to wear: Your UW Day of Action 2022, comfortable shoes/pants
  • Transportation: Volunteers will be responsible for their own transportation to a variety of Assisted Living Facilities in Muncie

Heart of indiana projects on september 9

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Muncie are offering projects at two different sites this year.

Project Site #1 - Scrape the ceiling of the entrance overhang and repaint it. Pull the weeds at the front of the building. Pull the weeds in the garden. Pull the weeds around the back of the Club where kids/families come in. Touch up any blue paint in the building. Dust around the windows, the heating elements, and ledges. 

Project Site #2 - Pull weeds around the building, including the parking lot. Touch up the blue paint on the accent wall in the classroom. Wash the windows at the front of the building on the inside, and clean the windowsills. Wipe down the tables and chairs. 

  • Time commitment: 8:00am - 12:00 noon
  • What to wear: Your UW Day of Action 2022 shirt and clothes you don't mind getting dirty
  • Transportation: Volunteers will be responsible for their own transportation

Volunteers will be helping to tackle some of the projects outside. These will include doing the safety yellow painting of barrows, gates, posts, retention walls on ramps, etc. We will also be clearing the way for some fun upcoming projects, and this means we need to clear some brush and clean up some branches from along the area around "the hill" just off the parking area. We have a safety fence surrounding our condenser area that needs a little TLC and a fresh coat of paint. Our parking lot needs swept for bits of metal that flatten truck tires and cost us lots of money to repair/replace, we have a giant magnet that needs dragged across the lot to clear the way. Last but not least, everyone's favorite: Pothole patching!

  • Time commitment:  9:30am – 12:00pm OR 1:00pm – 4:30pm
  • What to wear: Your UW Day of Action 2022 shirt and shoes/pants you can work in
  • Transportation: Volunteers will be responsible for their own transportation

Frequently Asked Questions

Faculty, professional, service, and staff employees may participate.

Yes. You will be paid for the time you normally would have been scheduled to work.

There are opportunities to volunteer virtually or on your own.

Employees must obtain pre-approval from their supervisor and include the time or hours you would like to volunteer. The request and approval must be in writing (email is OK) and your supervisor should retain the document in their payroll audit files.

Once you receive your supervisor’s approval, please complete our online registration form.

Supervisors are encouraged to allow employees to participate. However, the supervisor must ensure that there is appropriate staffing to meet the needs of the organization.

Non-Exempt (hourly)

If you are non-exempt (hourly paid), clock out for the time that you are volunteering (this includes travel time). You or your supervisor will add the hours using the pay code “Volunteer Pay” in Kronos. This process mirrors how you handle other paid time off such as sick, vacation, PTO, etc.

For example, if Mary is volunteering from 9:00 am to 11:00 am and leaves at 8:30 am and returns at 11:30 am, she would clock out at 8:30 am, clock back in at 11:30 am and then add 3 hours of “Volunteer Pay” in Kronos.

Exempt (Salaried)

If you are exempt (salaried), the hours spent volunteering should also be coded as “Volunteer Pay” in Kronos. Unlike sick and vacation that are reported in half and full day increments, “Volunteer Pay” is entered in increments of 15 minutes.

For example, if Mary spends 2.5 hours performing volunteer work, she would add a line in Kronos with 2.5 hours of “Volunteer Pay”.

Please keep a copy of your employee’s request to participate in the Day of Action along with your approval of the request. If your employee submitted a Kronos Adjustment Form, please keep this document for three years.

If you have questions regarding volunteer opportunities, please contact the Office of Community Engagement.

For information regarding Ball State University volunteer activities and related record keeping policies, please contact Kate Stoss in Human Resources.

Questions?

Contact the Office of Community Engagement.