Letter from the President 2005

December 7, 2005

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

As MinneapolisNEXT enters its eighth year, we find ourselves in stormy times. One need only pick up a newspaper or turn on the television to see devastating proof. One after another, catastrophes have rocked our country and our planet, leaving devastation and destruction in their wake. Lives, workplaces, homes and family histories have been lost.

After a while, overwhelmed by images of unimaginable pain and loss, we can all too easily find ourselves retreating into our own comforting shelters. With each new heartbreaking event, “empathy fatigue” sets in. When faced with the sad reality that we can’t solve all these problems, it becomes almost easy to believe that we can’t solve any.

But, working together, we can. And there is no better place to start than right here, close to home. In preparing young people for the future, we are strengthening tomorrow’s leaders, and our own community.

The sun will shine again, and what has been washed away will be rebuilt. Lessons learned the hard way will play a role in that rebuilding, in an effort to avoid future losses. But we’ve known that at MinneapolisNEXT from the start: Build it right the first time — strong, resilient, prepared for anything — and the payoff down the road will be enormous.

Our efforts to support educational and enrichment programming for Twin Cities youth — to be there for them during their most formative years — will provide the building blocks that security, stability and success ultimately need to rest on, as we help shape the future of the country, and nurture its next leaders.

Above & below: MinneapolisNEXT scholarship recipients at DeLaSalle High School.
Photos by Rick Orndorf.

The life skills we seek to instill in young people whose potential and determination stand out from the crowd cannot be washed away in bad times. Through our high school scholarships and program funding, we arm these promising youth with the life skills they need to weather such storms: knowledge, character, self-confidence. They can carry those things with them all through life, and draw on them whether they find themselves under sunny or turbulent skies. Those attributes will help them to recover from setbacks, and thrive in crises. While so much around us is being torn down, at MinneapolisNEXT, we are building up, right here in our own backyard.

We ask that you join us in our efforts and make a donation today. In financial circles, some people believe that you should invest in the worst of times to reap the greatest rewards. And the young people touched by our organization need your help and support now more than ever. Let’s work together today to build up tomorrow’s leaders . . . one dream at a time.

Best wishes for a happy holiday season,

Rexford L. Holland, President
rholland@minneapolisnext.org

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