Coming soon...the return of "That Lars Email"

Sometime in late 2008 I began curating and forwarding an email to 100 friends or so that listed open job postings across Minnesota, shared links to talented friends of friends seeking?new opportunities and passed along ideas, events?and articles that could?be helpful to those in job search mode amidst the Great Recession.?

As I sent out those first few emails, I began to receive requests asking to be added to "That Lars Email" distribution list and soon the mailing list grew to over 1,000 civic-minded subscribers across MSP. (please comment below if you were an initial?subscriber!!)

The "That Lars Email" evolved into the "Larsifesto" as a temporary placeholder for several months before it was re-branded as "Pollen".?

View an early example of "Larsifesto" from October 2009 as a PDF file here ->

https://www.scribd.com/document/21188709/Larsifesto-v5-0-Up-Up-and-Away-10-16-09

Back then I described "Pollen" as "a community comprised of civic-minded connectors who share ideas, career and civic engagement opportunities and peer-to-peer recognition to create positive impact and personal and professional growth for its members."

"Pollen" grew rapidly thanks to an incredible boost for its visibility and credibility from an early partnership with MinnPost that published "Pollen" as a column; thank you Joel Kramer and Corey Anderson .

An early "Pollen" column on MinnPost published in July 2010 -->

https://www.minnpost.com/pollen/2010/07/pollen-newsletter-vol-16/

"Pollen" continued to grow and eventually became a standalone MN nonprofit organization in 2013 thanks to the leadership of Jamie Millard and Meghan Murphy and seed funding from the Bush Foundation (thank you Jennifer Ford Reedy and Dominick Washington ).

Pollen's current website was launched back in October 2014:

https://web.archive.org/web/20141010072640/https://pollenmidwest.org/news/heres-to-being-bold

Launching and supporting the growth of what would become "Pollen" from 2008 to 2014 was one of the most rewarding and inspiring chapters in my life journey and I miss it.

I miss seeing the best of Minnesota's civic DNA on display without subscription fees, sponsored content or political partisanship disrupting the delivery of compassion, empathy, goodwill and innate desire to pay it forward of so many in our midst.?

I believe that same desire to connect, support, amplify and celebrate one another across sectors, geographies, identities and demographics in Minnesota not only still exists, but believe that desire has grown exponentially amidst the trauma and turmoil of life in America, and Minnesota specifically, since 2020.?

And so I'm going to try another social experiment with the launch of this email newsletter, "That Lars Email" (2.0), and see where it lands and what it initiates for me and for all of you who elect to opt in to this community.

So what content will "That Lars Email" include as it comes to life??

- Lifting up the growth, development, promotions, insights and achievements of those who opt-in to this community?

- Amplifying opportunities for continued professional and personal growth for subscribers - job openings, internship postings, board openings, networking opportunities

- Passing along requests for help, guidance, coaching, referrals or feedback from our subscribers -?

- Highlighting stories, content and people who practice, inspire and spread joy, creativity, empathy, compassion and wisdom?

Revisit this early issue of "Larsifesto" for a preview of what's to come.....

https://www.scribd.com/document/21188709/Larsifesto-v5-0-Up-Up-and-Away-10-16-09

Sound interesting?? Want to help build this together? Yes?!??

--> 4 Action Items:

1) Hit that "+Subscribe" button at the top of this post to be subscribed to future issues

2) Comment below to help amplify the reach of this newsletter on LinkedIn's algorithm with your ideas, updates and suggestions

3) Hit "Share" on this post to invite others in your network to consider joining us

4) Message me or email me lars-at-ballingerleafblad.com with your own ideas, counsel or suggestions for future newsletters

Thank you for investing the time to read this and I wish you and yours a very happy holidays!

Onwards and upwards!!

Lars