Jamie's #GiveAtHomeMN for Pollen

Friends and family, I hope you know how much Pollen means to me. It's not just where I work, but it's what feeds my soul and so many other souls in our creative, social, and philanthropic community.

Making a donation to Pollen is a joyful way to show your support, celebration, and belief in what is to come next for our collective community—and to say, "yes, I know empathy, human connection, and storytelling will be required to rebuild."

Here is why I'm donating to Pollen right now and why I hope you will join me in helping me reach a personal goal of raising $500 for Pollen as part of our #GiveAtHomeMN campaign (which will be matched dollar for dollar by generous donors!!). 

• March 11th Pollen shut down our office and canceled all of our in-person events for the foreseeable future... But by March 17th, just a few days later, we launched Are You OK? and published our first of seven stories to come in response to COVID19 and launched a new virtual gathering series (which has now reached more than 20,000 readers and 1,700 event attendees). 
• Every dollar we raise during #GiveAtHomeMN directly funds more stories, connects more people, and commissions the work of more writers, artists, and community leaders.
• This campaign is about looking toward the future with hope for what's to come. As experts in design, narrative, and convening, our focus will be on showcasing and supporting BIPOC, womxn, trans, and gender nonconforming leaders who are dismantling the status quo and devising new tools to build what we know must come next: a just, equitable, inclusive society that centers community.

And on a personal note, the people behind this organization gave me the space and support I needed to drop EVERYTHING and be completely focused on my family following Dani's seizure. In normal times that might be expected, but these are not normal times. Our organization has been working harder than ever and every team person and board member stepped up to give me the love and emotional support I needed to be there for my family. I'm forever grateful and it would mean so much to me for you to join me in recognizing the necessity of empathy, human connection, and stories—especially when our shared humanity is threatened.

xoxo,

jamie