Chef Michael and Nancy Smith epitomize the term "Power Couple". As if running two of Kansas City's culinary hot spots, Extra Virgin and Michael Smith restaurants weren't enough, Michael and Nancy Smith also find time to donate time, energy and funds to numerous causes and charities throughout the year. Featured on both Food Network and The Cooking Channel recently, this James Beard Award winner and his co-owner wife travel coast to coast making guest chef appearances and cooking for everyone from Sheryl Crow to Yo-Yo Ma to Michelle Obama. But ask Michael and Nancy where they get the most satisfaction and they will tell you here, at home in the heartland. Whether it's helping Harvesters, the Children's Center for the Visually Impaired or Wayside Waifs Animal Rescue, Michael and Nancy are always quick to offer their time and talents to raise awareness and funds for their chosen charities. From cancer awareness to suicide prevention, Michael's donated dinners have raised as much as $20,000 at auction and yet this couple have a gracious and self effacing charm that puts people at ease and belies the fact that they are indeed ... Kansas City's latest Power Couple. Michael & Nancy's charity of choice is Shadow Buddies. http://shadowbuddies.org/ Shadow Buddies are condition-specific dolls designed to be a friend "just like me" for seriously ill or medically challenged children. The Buddies not only provide comfort to the ill child, but also provide physicians a hands-on method of educating newly diagnosed children and their families about a particular disease or medical condition and its treatment. Shadow Buddies distributes over 45,000 dolls each year to hospitals all across the country and carry on the mission solely through donations.

Robb – Born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and a graduate of The University of Notre Dame, Heineman has been involved in sports ownership since 1992 as an owner/operator of the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Developmental League. Heineman has been at the forefront of the creation of Sporting Club’s groundbreaking membership model, a revolutionary concept that has changed the way fans interact with professional sports organizations in this country. Known for his openness and accessibility to fans, Heineman has put a special emphasis on the power of social media, frequently making use of sites like Twitter and Facebook to communicate with the club’s supporters. In recognition of Heineman’s work with Sporting Club, he was honored with the Special Achievement Award for Professional Sports from SportKC. Heineman was named a 2007 honoree in Ingram’s prestigious 40 under 40 list, highlighting the best young leaders and businesspeople in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The spring of 2011 saw Sporting Club announce historical partnerships with the likes of LIVESTRONG, Cisco and Google, enabling LIVESTRONG Sporting Park to serve as a living lab for sports and entertainment technology. LIVESTRONG Sporting Park also played a role in getting Google Fiber to Kansas City. Recognized as one of the most progressive, forward-thinking leaders in sports today, Robb Heineman is the CEO of Sporting Club, the parent organization of Sporting Kansas City, and one of the club’s five principal owners. He has a wife, Amber, and two children, Katherine and Charlie. Amber-- After growing up in the Kansas City area since junior high, Heineman pursued an undergraduate degree at the University of Arizona in Tucson before going on to earn a law degree at the University of Kansas School of Law in 1999. Shortly after graduation, Heineman was appointed as the assistant Jackson County prosecuting attorney, a position she held until 2005. Heineman then joined Reece and Nichols Real Estate as a member of the Koehler-Bortnick team, a position she currently holds. In addition to her role with the Koehler-Bortnick team, Heineman also serves as a director for both the Kansas City Soccer Foundation, an organization that uses soccer as a tool to provide charitable and educational programs to youth in the Kansas City metropolitan area, as well as Just Like You Films, a a non-profit film production company dedicated to facilitating unique children’s physical and emotional healing by creating an environment of accepting and nurturing peers and caregivers. Heineman also serves as an Advisory Board member for Heartland SPCA, a Kansas City organization that aims to save, protect and improve the lives of animals, while strengthening the relationship between pets and their human companions. Heineman is married to her husband, Robb, and has two children, Katherine and Charlie.

Marco and Erin Hernandez-Reisner own Photos Edge, an internationally award winning photography studio nestled in the Crossroads Arts District of Kansas City. Their work has been published in various magazines and media and their art has been featured worldwide. With a heart for medical charities Erin and Marco have helped numerous fundraisers benefiting an array of organizations like the Medical Missions Foundation. They are also avid supporters of the arts, aiding in fundraising for community programs like Mosaic Brain in North Kansas City. There is a passion for bettering life in the Kansas City area that drives Marco and Erin, and fuels their future endeavors. These include a program for graduating low-income inner city high school seniors, which provides senior portraits and prints free of charge. They are also in the works of founding the nation’s first Portrait Museum in Kansas City. Our charity is the Leukemia and Lymphoma society of Kansas City.

Glenn Lewis - A varied and interesting path has led Glenn to the KC Fringe Festival and beyond. His experiences in many different fields have enabled him to develop a wide variety of skills. In the past, he could be found doing things like; photography and photo printing, carpentry, management, artist, baker, electrician, designer, welder, grocer, and sound technician. Working in all walks of life, has facilitated his ability to communicate with different types of individuals and organizations. His particular skills are currently being utilized in Technical Theater; as the Technical Director of the KC Fringe Festival for the fourth year; continuing his 12th year working at the Unicorn Theatre, fourth as Technical Director, and StoneLion Puppet Theatre, where he has been the Technical Director for 11 years. He also does free-lance work at Lewis Scenic Development. Theatre ties together many of Glenn's talents and experiences and allows him to utilize his varied expertise to facilitate a great experience for people who have the opportunity to work with him. Glenn is an individual who is able to bring out the best in a person, performance or space by helping to create a safe, supportive environment which allows art and artists to flourish. Working with Cheryl Kimmi, Glenn helps to facilitate over 120 artists, hire and manage 20 or more technicians, supervise as many as 24 venues, interact with 50 community organizations, and countless volunteers & sponsors, during the 11 day Fringe Festival, and throughout the year. He enjoys giving back to the arts community and helping the Kansas City area expand our arts experience and exposure, by creating opportunities for emerging and established artists, technicians and individuals to push their boundaries and experiment with their comfort zones.

Cheryl Kimmi - Although a college music major, the arts were only an avocation for Cheryl until 10 years ago. She spent 20+ years in corporate America doing mostly sales & marketing. Cheryl’s passion for the arts and local artists led her ultimately to a concept called Fringe Festivals. Fringe is an unjuried, uncensored arts Festival concept that started in Edninburgh Scotland in 1947 and has grown to more than 90 Fringe Festivals world-wide. Cheryl founded KC Fringe in 2005. With the KCFringe Festival, Cheryl saw an opportunity to empower artists by investing in them. In the current tight economy, affordable opportunities to perform are a scarce commodity. There are no ‘boxes’ to fit in. The only limits are the artists’ creativity. Cheryl coordinates the KC Festival operating committee of over 25 dedicated volunteers, who help make the 11 day Festival success! But for her, the most important aspect of the Fringe Festival is building community. When barriers between artist and audience come down, doors open for conversations between friends, strangers, and brand-new friends. Regardless of background, Fringe brings people together. That is why Cheryl dedicates her time and energies to bringing this Festival to the Kansas City community!