MNSights - Fall 2011 - (Page 8)

Each year, Minnesota Community Foundation and Social Venture Partners Minnesota give out the Engaged Philanthropist Award to an innovative and engaged giver. It’s a description that certainly ﬁts John Larsen. The local designer spends as much time on charitable endeavors as on work, and last year he and his partner gave 50 percent of their taxable income to charity. Carleen Rhodes Tell me about your earliest experience with giving to others. John Larsen Wonderful parents raised me. A Few of His Favorite Things: Movie theater: The ShowPlace ICON in St. Louis Park—we love the reserved seating. Books: I love Stieg Larsson’s “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” series and “The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency” series by Alexander McCall Smith. ... But my all-time favorite is “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Place to have a cup of tea: Namaste Café. Lake to walk around: Lake of the Isles. It’s close to our new home and it’s pretty. Target Field food: I always have to have a Kramarczuk’s brat. By the way, what an incredible ballpark. number of philanthropists in Minnesota, I don’t think of myself in the same category. CR To what 501(c)3 organization did you give the cash award? JL The Project 515 Education Campaign. I got an allowance of $1 or $2 a week as a child, and I remember pledging to give a quarter every Sunday to our church. We ended up not going to church for a while that summer, and the church sent me a “You owe $13” letter. I was terriﬁed because I had no idea how I’d get $13! Luckily, Mom and Dad bailed me out of that. It was my ﬁrst experience with giving and following through on that commitment. CR Now you’re president of the John Larsen Foundation, which was founded by your grandmother and your parents, John and Karen Larsen. What are the beneﬁts of a family foundation? JL We’re a small board—my mom, dad, We’ll be educating people on the 515 laws that discriminate against same-sex couples and their families in Minnesota— everything from ﬁshing licenses (which are cheaper for married couples) to hospital visitation rights and survivor beneﬁts. CR Talk more about Project 515 and its goals. JL Project 515 seeks to achieve equality for sister Kris Rose and I are the only board members. Because of that, we’re each able to follow our passions and get engaged in our community. One of the gifts of having a family foundation is that we talk about our values and what matters to each of us in a way that we might not have otherwise. CR You’re also a partner in Design 45, a successful residential design ﬁrm. If you could pick a dream design client from contemporary pop culture, who would it be and why? JL Lady Gaga would be fun! That’d be Photography by Joe Treleven same-sex couples and their families under Minnesota law. The John Larsen Foundation was the ﬁrst organization to fund the Project 515 Education Campaign, back in 2006. We helped fund research to determine Minnesotans’ opinions about rights for same-sex couples. We found that 80 percent of Minnesotans think that government should treat people no differently because of their sexual orientation. CR I read in Lavender Magazine that you donated 50 percent of your taxable income in 2010. How would you encourage others to make that leap into donating a bigger percentage of their income to charitable causes? JL Ultimately, it’s about deciding that we FA L L I 2011 a crazy house, wouldn’t it? I’m thinking there’d be bubbles all over the place. CR The Engaged Philanthropist Award recognizes “innovative, effective, engaged” philanthropists. What does receiving this award mean to you? JL I’m completely blown away. When I have enough. My partner, Mike Stewart, and I feel like we have all we need and more. And as we give money away, it’s almost a karmic thing—all this good stuff starts coming back to us. We’re part of humanity in a much more meaningful way. If we leverage our time and talents in addition to our giving, it has a magnifying effect. This interview has been condensed and edited. think about the caliber and quality and THERE’S MORE! To watch the full interview, go to get. neoreader.com on your smartphone to download the free app, then snap this tag. M NSIGHTS How John Larsen Spends His Time > 30% professional > 30% nonproﬁt/volunteering > 20% spiritual > 20% fun/family 8 http://get.neoreader.com http://get.neoreader.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of MNSights - Fall 2011

MNSights - Fall 2011
Contents
Give to the Max
What Local Mayors Want
Who Inspires Us: Designer John Larsen
How to Give Smart While Giving Green

MNSights - Fall 2011