Lotus 2020 Be More Award Nominees

The Be More Awards are the City of Bloomington’s way of honoring and applauding the outstanding, but often unrecognized efforts of our community volunteers. Lotus’ brilliant cohort of volunteers always makes choosing just a few volunteers to represent us – and you – a great challenge. This year, we looked at those who have been quietly serving in sometimes unseen capacities. Please allow Lotus to introduce them to you.

Wayne Jackson

For several years now, Wayne has been offering his expertise in running sound for Lotus concerts at the Festival and at Lotus Blossoms. His fine mastery of making our artists sound as amazing in a large hall as they do in an intimate setting has been a huge gift to Lotus, over the years. Whether bringing his own sound system or lending us components to help the Lotus system work better, Wayne’s generous spirit has made a huge impact on what we are able to present and to the quality of the sound. Thank you, Wayne!

Lewis Johnson

Lewis is a previous Be More Award nominee and now, with 23 years of service under his belt, is once again reminding us of how much he gives to Lotus. Lewis began his service working with then Sites Director Tamara Loewenthal, learning about and contributing to the knowledge base of what is needed to close streets, set up tents and infrastructure, and gather equipment for a large festival event. Since that time, he has become a valuable member of the Venues Committee and every year ably leads the setup and tear down of Festival Headquarters on Kirkwood. Truly humble in his service, and still staying up late to finish the job, Lewis continues to do valuable work for Lotus, for which we are most grateful. Thank you, Lewis!

Stephanie Thompson

Some volunteers find their niche and stay there, but Stephanie has been volunteering for Lotus for 12 years, and always looks for a variety of ways to serve the organization. She can tend bar, she can drive artists around, she volunteers for the Festival, for Lotus Blossoms, for Edible Lotus, and for every need or event that we have. Stephanie’s willingness to jump in has endeared her to staff and committees alike, and her ability to get the job done and pitch in, no matter the work, is a quality we treasure. Thank you, Stephanie!