We learned long ago that skilled communicators have special powers, and that these powers can be used for good or for evil. We may have criminal minds, but we don’t have criminal hearts. So we’ve opted to use our special powers for good.

Which means we do a bunch of work for a bunch of organizations that do a whole bunch of great things in the world. We serve on boards. We volunteer. And we do all kinds of not-for-profit marketing. We’re suckers for a great cause.

Tonic Ball & Tonic Gallery

Back in 2002, a handful of us decided we’d lived pretty lucky lives and we wanted to give something back to people who hadn’t been so fortunate. We had some friends in the music business, and we had an idea for a show. And we thought feeding hungry people was just about the most important thing we could imagine.

So we started Tonic Ball: a benefit concert for Second Helpings featuring a dozen of Indianapolis’s most popular bands. The next year, we started Tonic Gallery and sold art donated by scores of the area’s top visual artists. A couple of years later, the Ball got so big, we had to add another venue.

Today, Tonic is one of Indianapolis’s most popular charitable events. Every year, we raise over $40,000 for Second Helpings. And we get to sing and play in front of hundreds of screaming fans. We’d say we’re still pretty lucky.

Second Story

A few years ago, Scott and Ken and a couple of friends realized that most kids in Indianapolis weren’t learning much about creative writing at school; in fact, if the knew anything at all it was that they hated writing.

But we believe that creative writing can be a gateway to helping kids discover their voices, explore their world, and embrace a life of curiosity and self-expression. We think that makes them better students and better people.

So we started Second Story: a not-for-profit organization designed to change kids’ attitudes about creative writing. So far, we’ve worked with hundreds of happy kids—some of whom have enjoyed the experience so much, they want to be writers when the grow up. Want to help? Find out more here.