Ignite Lincoln returns Thursday with 11 speakers for 11th year

By Madisyn Hahn
Aug. 12, 2019

Ignite Lincoln 8 (Ignite Lincoln Facebook).

The 11th annual Ignite Lincoln will showcase 11 inspirational local speakers this Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Rococo Theatre.

Ashley Kumpula, head of the event’s planning committee, said that building confidence and community is behind Ignite Lincoln’s mission of “everyone speaks.”

“Our goal is to make it possible for anyone, anywhere, to learn to present their ideas and their stories,” she said. “Ignite is also about having fun, and showing that presentations don’t need to be about “death by PowerPoint.’”

Kumpula said that Ignite Linconln sets itself apart from other Ignite events around the world because money is donated to local organizations.

“One hundred percent of the proceeds from sponsorships and ticket sales will be given to those five worthy nonprofit finalists,” she said. “The audience gets to select our winner by voting live at the event.”

Those five nonprofits being represented by the speakers will be Foster Care Closet of Nebraska, Nebraska Appleseed, No Footprint Too Small, TeamMates and The HUB. Speakers will have only five minutes to present their PowerPoints and get everything they need to get across to the audience for a chance to win for their organization.

“We want to give speakers adequate time to share … presentations that are entertaining, short and snappy,” said Kumpula. “We want others to realize that speaker presentations can be fun — they don”t need to be long, drawn-out dissertations to get a point across.”

With an expected audience of over 500, Ignite Lincoln is making an impact on the community with this event by educating locals and donating to important area nonprofits.

Kumpula said that Ignite Lincoln benefits the community by featuring diverse speakers who share their passions, thoughts, and stories.

“The event also helps educate its audience about the needs within our community and how nonprofits are stepping up to the plate with various missions to fulfill those needs,” she said. “At the end of the night, everyone walks away with a sense of being close within the community.”

For more information about the event, visit Ignite Lincoln”s Facebook page. For tickets to the event, click here.

Ignite Lincoln Lineup

Lauren Durban on “Fear, Public Speaking, and the Untold Story”
Keil Wilson on “Fun With (City) Flags: Why Lincoln Needs a New City Flag”
Lea Wroblewski on “A Sperm Whale, a Dead Man, and a Sad Middle-Ages Lady Walk into the National Symphony”
Raymonn Adams on “Reach Buffalo Status: Become Instinctive About Facing Your Fears”
Jason Smith on “To Save the World, Send a Kid to Camp”
Lincoln Arneal on “Meet Lincoln: It’s a Pleasure”
Megan Shoemaker on “#heymaydoesmay: 31 Days of Portraits”
Kristen Malek on “Unlearn Yourself”
Kelsey Wheeler on “So, an Introvert Walks Into an Animal Shelter…”
Jamie Granquist on “It All Starts With One”
Chad Kilpatrick on “Thanks, Mom”