3 minute read
MANY BOARDS, BUT NEVER BORED
THE CAROL E. SEALS DONOR STORY
As a young girl, former Chair for the Board of Directors at The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Carol Seals, was no stranger to leadership.
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Growing up in Muncie, her father was a Muncie school teacher with a love for giving back. He even coached track for the school. Carol’s mother, who was also a teacher, didn’t hesitate to step into leadership roles either.“My dad was the one that dropped me off at ballet lessons and Girl Scouts, but my mom was the Girl Scout leader and member of the Girl Scout Council Board,” said Carol.
With leadership being at the forefront of Carol’s upbringing, it is no surprise that her involvement within the Muncie community is still strong. Prior to the pandemic, Carol could be found attending any and every Ball State event. Even now there is a good chance you will spot her along the Cardinal Greenway riding, walking or even helping to clean it!
And her passion for helping the Muncie community continues through her service on various boards. She currently serves on five different Board of Directors, including The Community Foundation, Youth Opportunity Center, Cardinal Greenway, MutualBank Charitable Foundation, and Westminster Village Foundation. Carol explains that when she chooses to get involved with an organization, she wants to get her hands dirty too; “If you’re a part of an organization, you want to serve and help them in any way that you can; not to just say that you are ‘on the board.’” She has the want and the drive to be involved in every organization that she is a part of.
And with her parents setting the example to get involved and be a leader within the community, it makes sense that Carol is incredibly diverse in her interests. During her time with The Community Foundation alone, she represented health and human services, arts, culture, and recreation, and financial services.
“I have so many different interests,” said Carol. “That’s why I give money to the Foundation. I’m so diverse in what I like to support; it’s like I can give to one place and it can support many diverse things in the community.”
Carol Seals and Kelly Shrock
Carol explains that the beauty of The Community Foundation is that it supports so many different aspects of the community, from the arts to small businesses. Being a part of the Foundation has allowed her to continue to grow in her interests and gain new insights from working with a diverse group of people.
Her love for this community, and for the Foundation, shines bright as she even worked to establish a new fund at the Foundation. Carol was instrumental in the creation of the Board of Directors Endowment Fund. The purpose of this fund is to support sustainability that allows the Foundation to do good work in the future.
”As we continue to grow, we want to continue to help in other ways,” said Carol. “To be a strong leader in the community, we have to support ourselves too. We need to have the funds to support ourselves and for ourselves to grow, that’s why I had this idea of starting the fund.”
Carol explains that the Foundation is dedicated to supporting local organizations, but in order to do that, the Foundation needs to be supported as well. By setting up this fund, it ensures that the Foundation is able to continue evolving and growing.
“It’s [Board of Director’s Fund] supporting our community as we say; to be here today, tomorrow, and always. We want it to continue; continue to grow.”
