The Lakeland Community is a busy place! There are arts & cultural activities, sports & recreational happenings, business events, charity benefits, school showcases… Whew! There’s definitely something for every resident and visitor!
In the Spring of 2009, the City of Lakeland was given an opportunity to submit a proposal to Google. The search-engine giant was looking for a city where government, residents and businesses were ready for ultra-high speed Internet access. In support of the City’s application, a group of citizens, technical and non-technical, met to offer assistance and to brainstorm ways to gain Google’s attention and make Lakeland stand out from the pack.
As the group met, and talked, and thought, and planned, it became evident that the reason that this Google fiber project was so appealing was connectivity. Having crazy fast Internet would be awesome, but the volunteers believed that Lakeland needed connectivity on multiple levels, not just technology.
So, ConnectLakeland was born. The group of volunteers is now represented by a Task Force under the umbrella of Lakeland Vision, a 501(c)3 dedicated to helping Lakeland become the best it can be by turning the community’s ideas into reality. Ultimately, this Task Force wants to make Lakeland “the most connected city on the planet.”
Realizing that connectivity means about 200,000 different things to the 200,000 residents of the greater Lakeland area, the Task Force has identified priorities and action steps that will move Lakeland toward connectivity, starting with a community portal that will allow residents and visitors to see and discuss the events, activities, programs and opportunities that exist in the town.
Set to launch in February 2011, the portal will be the eventual location for a comprehensive calendar of community events, making sure that no person in Lakeland will ever have to stay home with nothing to do!
ConnectLakeland is always looking for volunteers to help spread the word. From programmers to bloggers, from writers to folks who are good at talking to their neighbors… when Lakeland’s residents rally behind ConnectLakeland, it is destined to succeed. For more information on getting involved in making Lakeland “the most connected city on the planet,” connect with us through the Facebook, Twitter & YouTube links at the top of the page.