November 24, 2004
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
It has been seven years now since MinneapolisNEXT began forging alliances in the Twin Cities urban community, providing educational opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable to the determined youth and their families who have benefited from our organization. In that time, MinneapolisNEXT has awarded over 100 high school scholarships to young men and women — including 30 this year alone — many of whom come from families who have migrated to Minneapolis, in many cases after immigrating to America. Like their European predecessors that cobbled together lives along the Upper Mississippi 150 years ago, many of them came with little more than their dreams and aspirations for better lives. It has been particularly exciting and gratifying this year to track the progress of the more than 40 MinneapolisNEXT graduates now pursuing four-year degrees at institutions of higher learning around the country. The reach of our efforts is growing. More details about our organizational structure and impact can also be found on our website at www.minneapolisnext.org.
At MinneapolisNEXT, we are proud of our mission, as we identify high achievers and provide them with the wings to fly. The common trait of our current scholarship roster is involved parenting. We have seen the benefits firsthand. It is a matter of will. It is a matter of expectations. If you expect nothing of children, you will get nothing in return. We choose to expect a lot from these young people, as their families do, and we are not being disappointed.
This past summer, I visited with Terri Lynn Smith and her son Galen, a MinneapolisNEXT sophomore scholarship recipient in the year 2004-2005 who we met last year through Maranatha Christian Academy. At the Smith home in the Jordan neighborhood of North Minneapolis, I got better acquainted with Galen, a straight-A student who, with the support of his mother, has been able to rise above the crime and despair which permeate the 26th Avenue corridor. Terri Lynn Smith — like Olympic speed skater Dan Jansen, who stumbled many times on his way to a world record and gold medal — has persevered in the face of many hardships over many years. She and her family are remarkable examples of people who understand the power of a good education and are relentless in their pursuit of it. Galen has another strong role model in his older brother, who currently attends The College of William and Mary on a full scholarship, on to the promise of a better life. Terrific stuff.
As we move toward the holiday season, I urge you not to look in the rear view mirror, but to focus on the road ahead. I hope you will join us at MinneapolisNEXT as we nurture the shining stars that will lead us into the 21st century. The New York Times reports that in 2004, China’s universities will produce a record 325,000 new engineers, compared to 70,000 new graduates in the United States, a number which has been declining domestically since the early 1980s. As the bright lights and gleaming stores beckon in the weeks ahead, luring American consumers along a trend-line of spending more on luxuries than necessities, please remember the value and importance of investing in the education and leadership of the next generation . . . and what it took for Dan Jansen to pick himself up off the ice time and time again . . . and what it will take for Galen Smith to succeed against all odds. As you reflect on your own good fortune, please consider a tax-deductible gift to MinneapolisNEXT. Help us build the future one dream at a time.
Very truly yours,
Rexford Holland, President
rholland@minneapolisnext.org