Meet Kate, our Volunteer of the Month for November 2024! Kate volunteered on the production team for our Tonic Ball event last month. Becky Malkemes, our Special Events Manager, nominated Kate, saying, “Kate was an absolute lifesaver for our team this year. She is so extremely organized and while coordinating the both the production committee and production team, five stages, 250+ musicians, she was still able to reply to questions quickly and resolve last-minute problems. I came on staff 2 months before Tonic Ball and I literally could not have done it without Kate, she made it so much easier and is literally my hero!”
Thank you, Kate, for sharing your time with Second Helpings!
Learn more about Kate in her own words below.
How did you become involved with Second Helpings?
Through a series of lucky interactions, I got in touch with the incredible Joe Ball, Chair of the Tonic Ball Committee. He readily welcomed me to the committee and encouraged me to take on work that excited me. I’m so thankful for all the paths in life that lead me to meeting him. His support, vision, and wit have been invaluable as I navigated my first year running the production team!
What things have you done since you began volunteering with us?
I’ve gotten to do all kinds of fun things since I started volunteering! This past year I ran the production team for Tonic Ball. This means I managed the crew that did outreach to new bands, created the lineups for all the stages, and communicated logistics with all parties involved. Additionally I worked with the venues and tech persons to make sure everyone had what they needed in order to have a smooth event. It was a lot of fun and a lot of email exchanges! I sent and received over 500 emails leading up to the show!
What have you liked best about volunteering with us?
The best part about volunteering for Second Helpings and Tonic Ball has been getting to meet all kinds of cool people! Working with bands is always fun, but I really enjoyed getting to know the other production committee members and staff at Second Helpings. I loved working with such talented, passionate, and creative people in my community. While I am so thrilled to have been selected as Volunteer of the Month, I truly could not have done any of this work without the rest of the production team. Shoutout to Will, Lizzy, Erik, Mike, Nora, Andy, Lisa, Izzy, Katerina, Mac, Marc, Rob, Aaron, Chris, and Joshua for being the best crew a gal could ask for!
What are you most proud of accomplishing through your volunteer work here?
Wow, there’s so many things to choose from! First and foremost, I’m just so thrilled the event went smoothly. It’s a lot of work to coordinate 50+ bands and 250 musicians across 5 stages! The fact that we pulled it off is a proud accomplishment in itself. On a more personal level, however, I was really proud of my artist outreach team when they landed Pat and The Pissers and Moon Goons. Those are two of my favorite local bands and they both brought the house down!
What do you do when you’re not volunteering with us?
At my core, I am a patron of the arts! On any given weekend you’ll likely find me at IndyFringe performances, exploring new exhibits at Tube Factory, or perusing the shelves at Golden Hour Books. I enjoy all forms of art and try to indulge my senses as much as possible. But when I’m not out and about on the town, I’m at home reading Stephen King with my cat, Sir Ian McKellen.
Do you volunteer for any other organization?
Given my penchant for logistics and coordination, I’ll find myself frequently volunteering to assist with friends’ theater productions and live performances. I also keep an eye out for volunteer opportunities with Pattern–I love their mission to grow the creative economy in Indiana!
What would people be surprised to know about you?
I’ve got four fun facts to match our four Tonic Ball tributes this year:
1. I’ve seen Jack White perform five times and haven’t missed a tour of his since 2014.
2. In high school, I learned Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” dance choreography—and I can still do most of it!
3. Maggot Brain by Funkadelic was my most-listened-to album of 2019.
4. Before this year, I only knew Hall & Oates for “Maneater.” Now, thanks to Tonic Ball, “Sara Smile” and “Kiss On My List” landed in my Spotify top 10 tracks of the year.