Courtney Marsh is reshaping Muncie’s Southside through dedication

On Aug. 26, hundreds of Southside Muncie residents will gather at Cooley Park for pizza, slip ‘n slides, and camaraderie. In between the tossing of reusable water balloons, conversation among neighbors will thrive.

While residents are enjoying the event, Southside Neighborhood Association President Courtney Marsh sees something others miss: the results of months of planning.

“I feel like I didn’t see anybody really that day,” Courtney said. “I was kind of running around making sure we have enough pizza and drinks.”

The Mark Kinman Family Fun Day, named two years ago in memory of Southside resident Mark Kinman, who helped in planning the inaugural family fun day, takes place on the fourth Tuesday of each August in Cooley Park. The neighborhood association provides pizza and drinks, while local churches, businesses, the Muncie Police Department, and other organizations provide a splash pad, booths, and other games.

Putting on such a large event takes the ability to “wear a lot of hats.” First, Marsh and the rest of the neighborhood association board have to acquire permission to use Cooley Park — a process that begins in March. They then spend the next few months compiling sponsors and any organization that wishes to have a booth.

Marsh admits that an event like this takes help, as the association has vice president, secretary, and treasurer positions, as well as unnamed board positions that help with contributing information. Southside also has several zone leaders who function as liaisons between each of the eight smaller zones within Southside, the largest neighborhood in Muncie.

“We’ve probably had about 150 people out there,” Marsh said about the summer of 2024’s event.

When the event first began in 2022, attendance averaged around 60 residents. The association is funded through several avenues, a large portion of which is the American Rescue Plan. They also collect dues from any household wishing to vote in upcoming board elections, receive monetary donations, and are occasionally gifted with proceeds from events like a local church’s art fair.

An alum of Garfield Elementary, Wilson Middle School, and Southside High School, Marsh felt her community needed a space to gather. The Mark Kinman Family Fun Day aims to reduce social isolation without a financial burden. Additionally, during the 2024 family fun day, the neighborhood association announced a new utility assistance program, which garnered a lot of interest, Marsh said.

“[Residents] are always looking for something fun to do, where they’re not spending 50 to 100 dollars just to have two hours of fun,” Marsh said. “…I knew that they needed to have opportunities where they could go out and have a good time.”

According to the Southside Neighborhood Analysis and Action Plan, developed by Ball State Urban Planning Studio 302 from the fall of 2019, Southside had a median household income of $29,844, signifi cantly less than Muncie’s median household income of $41,255.

Despite this, Marsh claims that Southside has “a lot of wealth on our side that people don’t look at.” One of the association’s zone leaders, Jennifer Sheridan, agrees and emphasizes that there are “a lot of great people on the Southside,” one of whom is Marsh.

Sheridan, owner of historic Gibson Arena, recalls countless times Marsh has selflessly given her time, money, and effort to the kids of Southside. Also a volunteer with a local Girl Scouts troop, Marsh hopes to be a role model for those without.

Sheridan describes Marsh creating odd jobs for local kids to earn enough money to skate at Gibson Arena. Marsh is known for teaching the kids how to conduct themselves in public, helping them learn social skills or even personal hygiene. When kids are without transportation from the rink, Sheridan mentions that Marsh always knows who to call or what to do.

“It’s kind of hard to imagine if she wasn’t around,” Sheridan said.

Heather Williams, one of the board members, program manager of Building Better Neighborhoods, and president of the Muncie Action Plan, has watched Marsh “find purpose.”

A neighborhood association president herself, Williams joined the Southside board to provide initial guidance to Marsh.

“Courtney brings humility, humor, and just a goget ‘em attitude,” Williams said.

Between fundraising, planning, and executing, Courtney says that despite the time commitment, she’s excited to keep moving forward. She describes aiming to change the perception of her neighborhood.

“I’d like to see the community as a whole come together a little bit more on a positive aspect of it, instead of such a negative kind of demeanor,” she said.

Marsh’s work in the neighborhood earned her the 2024 Idea Conference Neighborhood Leader of the Year award. Although she was “a little apprehensive” at first to take the president’s position, she has grown the Southside Neighborhood Association, claiming the role to be “eye-opening in so many ways.”

“In 50 years, when my kids are doing their history lesson on Muncie, I want my name to pop up in some form or fashion that I did something good,” she said.

Contact Maci Hoskins via email at maci.hoskins@bsu.edu.

This article is republished as part of a collaborative content-sharing agreement between Ball State Unified Media and Indiana Public Radio, established to expand access to high-quality journalism and to better inform and serve the public through trusted, in-depth reporting.