Members of Muncie Habitat’s Community Engagement Committee and staff took a tour of recent and upcoming projects to kick off their year. It’s lovely to see the collective impact on our neighborhoods when organizations, volunteers, donors, and neighbors unite to improve our community.

The tour started at Rosebud Coffee before turning down 10th Street to see some of Habitat’s newest build sites. Three homes will be built in a short stretch of the street, including one rehab home and one multigenerational home. The tour also learned about Sparky’s Corner, which has evolved into a small business since receiving a ‘Small Sparks’ grant, and the Avondale Community Garden, which provides a place for area residents to meet and gather fresh veggies in the summer.

The tour continued onto Jefferson St., where attendees learned about the the 8twelve Neighborhood Coalition’s impactful work—seeing the resident-led improvements, such as the Pocket Park, and homes rehabbed by EcoRehab and Muncie Habitat’s new builds.

The tour continued onto Mulberry St., where the group had the chance to chat with Napoleon, whose family moved into their Habitat home the month prior. He shared how he decided to partner with Habitat and what a difference his home already makes for his two little girls. The home next door to his will also be completed in a few months and will be home to Kristina, a young woman with career ambitions!

The tour continued around the south side, pointing out past Habitat builds and sharing what is next for Habitat’s neighborhood revitalization efforts. The tour came out of the question, “does what Habitat and other organizations are doing really make a difference?” At the end of the tour, each participant could see and feel the power of collective impact on our neighborhoods!

Thank you to our committee members — Allison with Aspect 6 Creative, Amanda with Kishel Photography, Marissa Earls, Realtor, and Kate with Thrive Credit Union — for dreaming with us and supporting our work—a special thanks to First Presbyterian Church. Muncie, IN for chauffeuring us!

If you’d like to see the impact firsthand, email info@munciehabitat.org to sign up for our next neighborhood tour!