SHE LIGHTS THE SPARK FOR HELPING OTHERS

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Katie Fessler. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

Katie Fessler is a changemaker. Throughout her professional life working in corporate social responsibility with Altria, Katie Fessler guided many by demonstrating how important it is to help others. But outside the office, Katie put that same passion for community service to work and ultimately bettered the world. Possessing expertise in both the artistic realm and youth development, Katie’s volunteer work is a strong demonstration of what it means to be a person of action.

For more than six years, Katie served as a board member at SPARC, the School of the Performing Arts of Richmond Community. Already a devoted volunteer leader in Richmond’s philanthropic community, Katie was an essential component of the SPARC team as they made a significant shift toward their mission of creative youth development. She was instrumental in completing several national searches for essential roles within the organization, including finding a new executive director when Ryan Ripperton planned to depart the role. That 10-month process was complicated by the pandemic, requiring remote interviewing and careful social gatherings. But with Katie’s help, the process was a success.

“Katie pursues what she believes in, and she teams up with people who believe the same,” says Ryan, who has known her for 14 years.

In addition to her dedication to SPARC, Katie has put in hundreds of hours of work for other organizations in the Richmond area, including the Richmond Triangle Players, a nonprofit professional theatre company, and the Greater Richmond Chamber Foundation. While there is a laundry list of organizations that count Katie as a dedicated volunteer, the list of organizations that wish they could have Katie on their team is even longer.

“I think that she is just a person who recognizes that if you put your energies toward the things that you’re passionate about, and you leverage those in the right way at the right time in the right place, you can change the world,” says Ryan.

Katie’s tenacity is deeply admired by colleagues, peers and fellow volunteers. Her understanding that people can accomplish much more if they work together is a passionate example of how volunteering can revolutionize a community.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Katie? Find local volunteer opportunities.