About fifteen years ago I heard about a wonderful opportunity called the Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program through Lilly Endowment Inc. for a grant. To give you an idea of what this company does, “Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private foundation that supports the causes of community development, education and religion. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.” More information can be found at www.lillyendowment.org.

Upon learning about the grant, I immediately applied for one and was turned down over the next two years. I sought advice from a friend who had been awarded a grant, and with his help and lots of hard work, I was awarded an $8,000 grant called “Puppets with Pizzazz” in 2005. That summer I spent a week in Kalamazoo, MI with my daughters Bethany, Caitlyn at the home of a puppet maker where we designed both hand puppets and life-size puppets for me to use during the school year. Later that summer my husband Rob, Bethany, Caitlyn and I flew to England for three weeks. We attended a puppet seminar, puppet shows, and enjoyed the beautiful English countryside. It was a fantastic opportunity! I learned a lot, our family enjoyed the time together, and I went back to school with lots of new puppets and ideas. These puppets were included in my everyday teaching and many programs over the years.

Upon being awarded a grant, you become a “Lilly Fellow”. Each year, Lilly Endowment Inc. invites all Lilly Fellows currently teaching to attend a wonderful 3-day seminar at Indiana State University a few weeks before the new school year resumes. It’s invigorating to be with so many creative teachers, and the classes are fun and stimulating!

Workshops across the years

Music Fellows

Teachers are allowed to reapply for a grant after seven years, and can only have three grants in their lifetime. In 2012 I began reapplying for another grant. I was once again turned down two times (you have to have a really solid idea and game plan!) before getting this wonderful letter in January 2016:

Dear Ms. Muncy:
Congratulations! It gives me great pleasure to inform you that your proposal was selected for funding by Lilly Endowment Inc. through the 2016 Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program. The grant amount is $12,000.

LILLY ENDOWMENT INC. TEACHER CREATIVITY FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

2016 $12,000 fellowship recipients Note: Year in parentheses denotes year of previous Teacher Creativity fellowship grant.
BEDFORD North Lawrence Community Schools Lincoln Elementary and Parkview Primary Schools

Rebecca J. Muncy (2005) “Jubilant Journey in Japan!” – explore history, music and culture in Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and Okinawa

I was very excited, jumping up and down while telling my husband Rob I got the grant – “Jubilant Journey to Japan”! Below is the press release for the 2016 Lilly Grant recipients:

Lilly Endowment Teacher Creativity Fellowships Honor 100 Indiana Educators INDIANAPOLIS –
“Throughout the school year, they challenge students to create, discover and grow. This summer 100 K-12 educators will take time for their own exploration and development through Lilly Endowment Teacher Creativity Fellowships. The Endowment’s Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program, now in its 29th year, gives Indiana teachers, principals, guidance counselors and school media specialists the financial support and encouragement to renew their commitment to the profession of education. Each educator will receive a $12,000 grant to support a project of personally and professionally fulfilling activities. The fellows represent a wide variety of Indiana schools – traditional public schools, charter schools and private schools, both religiously affiliated and independent. Many of the educators will travel internationally to explore art, music and history across Asia, Europe and Africa as they seek to bring global awareness to their teaching. Others will travel to trace their own ethnic heritages and family narratives. There are teachers who will nurture their creative lives: one educator will learn the Japanese art of papermaking; another will build a home art studio. Several educators will explore the natural world – the ecology and animal habitats of Australia; the Galapagos Islands; the National Parks of the American west. Still others will nurture diverse personal passions: one educator will train to become a yoga teacher; another will study the engineering of Major League Baseball’s domed stadiums. “These extraordinary educators have outlined inspiring and creative projects that promise to help them integrate personal renewal and professional development,” said Sara B. Cobb, the Endowment’s vice president for education. “During nearly three decades of work with the Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program , we at the Endowment have learned how important it is for educators to have the time and space to explore, travel and create,” Cobb said. “We regularly hear that these experiences help Indiana’s teachers, principals, school counselors and media specialists renew their commitment to their profession. As a result, their students benefit.” Including the 2016 class, more than 2,800 Indiana educators have received grants since the Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program began in 1987. The Endowment selected the 2016 fellows from a competitive pool of 535 applicants.”

If you have been reading my blogs on this website, you know that through this wonderful grant, I had many fantastic adventures in Japan this past summer! What a fabulous opportunity! Thank you Lilly!

I am also a member of the Indiana State Teacher’s Association. ISTA is a group of more than 45,000 educators across Indiana working hard to give our students a great education. In Lawrence County, Indiana I work with some wonderful teachers that dedicate a lot of time and effort to teaching our children in the public schools. We teachers truly care about our students and want to see them succeed.

ISTA sent an invitation to all the Lilly Fellows to share a blog on the ISTA about our grant experiences over the summer. I decided to write about my Japan trip and was pleasantly surprised when my blog appeared on the ISTA website last month. You can check out the blog through this link:

https://ista-in.org/guest-blog-ista-member-brings-japanese-culture-back-to-hoosier-students

There are lots of wonderful opportunities in life. We just have to look for them and not be afraid to try them.

“Tis a lesson you should heed:
Try, try, try again.
If at first you don’t succeed,
Try, try, try again.”
-William Edward Hickson