Tag: CenterPoint Scholars

The 2025-2026 CenterPoint Scholars focused on Communication and Connection. They contracted with Kate Elliott, associate lecturer of journalism at Ball State, to conduct a series of $20 interviews called “Twenty Forward.” Each month, Kate puts $20 in the hands of two Muncie residents and then writes about who or what they support with their modest but meaningful investment in our city. Read the project introduction to learn more.

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From Longfellow to leadership: Yvonne Thompson’s commitment to Muncie children

By Kate H. Elliott

Yvonne Thompson loved first grade. She’d wake to homemade biscuits and margarine before walking past her daddy’s service station to Longfellow Elementary. Mrs. Mary Dollison was there to greet Yvonne with a smile. “Mrs. Dollison cared for us deeply and made learning come to life,” Yvonne said. “She knew education was the key to our success, and she believed we were capable of greatness.”

Yvonne and others saw themselves in Dollison, who looked like them, went to church with some of them, and lived in their neighborhood. “Representation matters,” Yvonne said. “As a Black child in 1964, it was empowering to have a Black teacher.”

At the time, Longfellow and Garfield elementaries were the only two of Muncie’s 15 elementary schools that employed Black teachers, and Longfellow made history by hiring the city’s first Black teacher in 1952 and first Black administrator in 1956. Yvonne was proud to attend a school with those “milestones of progress,” she said.

Years later, when Yvonne returned to Muncie in 2005, she reconnected with Dollison, who had gone on to establish (alongside Rashana Shabazz) Motivate our Minds — a nonprofit that offers year-round academic achievement and enrichment programs for children and families. Her former teacher, now a driving force in the community, encouraged Yvonne to become executive director of MOMs.

“It was a wonderful opportunity to come full circle,” Yvonne said. “Ms. Mary had inspired me to dedicate myself to others, to invest in people the way she invested in me. Leading the organization she founded was a great opportunity to directly give back to the community that raised me.”

Yvonne led MOMs for two years through a time of tremendous growth, as the nonprofit expanded and diversified its after-school enrichment programs, summer camps and individualized instruction and support. “We made education so fun, those kids didn’t realize they were learning,” she said of MOMs, which supports the longest running Scouting America program in Delaware County. “We certainly covered the basics, like math and reading, but we also offered violin and choir, and we helped prepare kids to navigate the hits of life.”

Yvonne went on to serve the city as executive director of the Muncie Human Rights Commission for more than 17 years, but she remained involved with MOMs as a volunteer and now as president of its board of directors. The organization’s commitment to children is why Yvonne is giving her $20 to Motivate our Minds.

“Kids are our future,” she said. “I want my $20 investment to help sponsor a child because MOMs helps children become better citizens, not just in Muncie, but better citizens of the planet. Investing in our children strengthens our future.”

Yvonne, who retired from the city in 2025, said she hopes to inspire MOMs kids the way Dollison inspired her. “I want them to see me, a kid from Whitely, who has found success and made a difference in the world,” she said. “But I also want to connect with them and make them laugh, like the other day, when I told them I was 67. They had such a good time with that 6-7 thing. They went crazy.”

The mother of three is also board chair for Inspire Academy, a tuition-free public charter school serving pre-K–8 students in Muncie. Seeing graduates of the school and MOMs achieve success is what motivates Yvonne to keep serving.

“We are creating a culture — a community, really — of people who feel seen and valued and supported, and then they go on to see, value and support others in their personal and professional lives,” she said. “That is powerful. Life is hard, and there will be hits, but we help them have courage and gain inner strength to know who they are, to know what matters, and to know what to stand for. Seeing these kids grow up into their best selves is a great honor and reward.”

Learn more about Motivate our Minds at motivateourminds.org.
Thank you to Muncie Action Plan and CenterPoint Scholars for supporting these small but meaningful investments in community.

The 2025-2026 CenterPoint Scholars focused on Communication and Connection. They contracted with Kate Elliott, associate lecturer of journalism at Ball State, to conduct a series of $20 interviews called “Twenty Forward.” Each month, Kate puts $20 in the hands of two Muncie residents and then writes about who or what they support with their modest but meaningful investment in our city. Read the project introduction to learn more.

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Hospitality with heart: Christiana Mann invests in Muncie’s most vulnerable

By Kate H. Elliott

Christiana Mann spends most of her day around food — eating it, teaching about it and serving it. But her thoughts are never far from those who are hungry. Since 1999, the Indiana native has volunteered for the Soup Kitchen of Muncie, which serves up more than 91,000 meals each year at its facility in downtown Muncie.

“Food is a basic human right,” said Christiana, an associate lecturer of hospitality innovation and leadership at Ball State University. “There’s absolutely no reason why there should be one person going without.”

To combat food insecurity, Christiana is giving her $20 to the Soup Kitchen of Muncie.

“They show up, Monday through Friday, except for Christmas Day and Thanksgiving, to help their brothers and sisters,” she said. “I’m amazed and in awe of the amount of food the Soup Kitchen produces by volunteers and a very limited staff.”

And the Soup Kitchen of Muncie, Christiana said, “nourishes souls.” When a regular stopped coming last summer, volunteers learned he was in the hospital and offered help as he healed.

“People gather prior to meals to connect about their lives and share resources,” said Christiana, who has served two, three-year terms on the nonprofit’s board. “The Soup Kitchen doesn’t ask questions or require proof of hardship. Anyone is welcome to have a hot meal, rest or regroup with no judgement.”

From lemon shakeups to local renewal

Christiana talks about food insecurity like it’s her full-time job, but it’s not. She teaches about restaurant management and foodservice sanitation during the week and then oversees Three Bears Concessions, which her family started 40 years ago to help pay her college bills. The enterprise grew from a seasonal, single mobile unit to a fleet of five food trucks, catering and concessions contracts with Ball State Athletics and area state parks.

“In addition, I started my own independent business at 15. Christiana’s Concessions sold enough lemon shakeups to come out of college, debt free,” she said. And in 2024, Christiana embarked on another entrepreneurial adventure — The Culinary Cottage, a private venue for intimate gatherings and custom culinary experiences for up to 30 guests.

“I decided to practice what I preach in class, so I conducted a market analysis and determined that our community could sustain a business like this,” she said of the cozy house south of downtown. “We offer a rich tapestry of seasonal flavors, provided by local farmers and producers, and savor diverse and authentic recipes, prepared and served with a special focus on health, sustainable practices, fair pricing and great taste.”

Wanting to be part of downtown Muncie’s revitalization efforts, Christiana chose to lease the rectory of Grace Episcopal Church. She renovated the interior last year and will beautify the exterior and gardens this summer. “Fun fact,” she said, “is that before closing in 2020, the facility housed the Alpha Center, an adult day center, where I volunteered, and my grandma attended. The space holds special memories.”

She continues to build memories there, alongside her parents, Joe and Judy Mann; husband, Michael; and children, Michael and Madelyn, who assist with special events. “My love language is food, and I’ll eat anything other than a beet, which tastes like dirt matter how you fix them, or a lima bean, due to childhood trauma,” she said.

And although she often makes dishes that look too good to eat, Christiana is not snobby about food: “There’s nothing better than a bag of tacos from the drive-through at midnight,” she added.

Where passion meets purpose

Christiana admits she has not mastered a healthy work-life balance, with so much of her job emmeshed with her family and interests. But, other than the administrative work, she loves what she does and approaches each day with a positive attitude and focus on communication and time management.

“These are the things that I believe and share with my students,” said Mann, who has earned three degrees from Ball State. “So much of what we do is not about the food. If you can master communication and time management — while maintaining a positive attitude — you’ll succeed in anything you do.”

She would know. Christiana has earned the 2025 Mayors Arts Award for “Muncie Maker,” which is given to a local business owner who exemplifies the impact and vitality of Muncie’s creative economy. The Yorktown Chamber of Commerce recognized her as its Volunteer of the Year in 2022.

But she doesn’t let those achievements stop her from rolling up her sleeves to serve at the Soup Kitchen’s Farm to Fork Fundraiser or to review its policies and procedures. Having spent more than a decade as environmental director for the Delaware County Health Department, Christiana’s experience with sanitation has helped the Soup Kitchen operate safely, most notably during the COVID-19 pandemic. She continues to consult for the organization and donate excess from her catering and concessions businesses.

To learn more about Christiana and The Culinary Cottage, go to www.theculinarycottagemuncie.com. To learn more about the Soup Kitchen of Muncie, go to www.soupkitchenofmuncie.org.

Thank you to Muncie Action Plan and CenterPoint Scholars for supporting these small but meaningful investments in community.