November 18, 1999
To: Clients and Friends
From: Pat Conlin
I am writing to introduce you to an opportunity to contribute to a great cause.
Just over a year ago, my friend Rex Holland and I were at a Minnesota Timberwolves game. Rex told me about the relationship he had developed with Romone Penny, an inner city eighth grade student he got to know while coaching basketball in a South Minneapolis league. Romone, Rex said, “is a terrific young kid, who wants to get into a high school college prep program.” After getting the run-around — for lack of a better term – from the Minneapolis public schools, Rex put Romone in his car and decided to visit some private schools. To make a long story short, Romone is now an outstanding and proud tenth grade student at the Academy of Holy Angels.
That night at the game, I told Rex I would help pay for Romone’s education. Out of that, we decided to form a non-profit entity, hence MinneapolisNEXT. NEXT’s mission is primarily to fund scholarships for impoverished, determined, at-risk youth in Minneapolis who show exceptional desire and ability to succeed in life. We hope that, with your support, they will emerge as leaders and role models for the next generation of inner-city youth.
MinneapolisNEXT, now in its second year, has seven outstanding, bright and talented kids who have been given the opportunity of a lifetime to broaden themselves beyond their immediate surroundings.
We are now in the process of raising $100,000 to be used primarily to pay tuition we have committed to, and to expand and help more kids. Our organization is small and very entrepreneurial. We have no employees or paid staff. We are just a few people enjoying making a dramatic difference in a few kids’ lives.
If you are looking for another opportunity to gift money and like what we are doing, I would truly appreciate your support. Contributions are tax-deductible.
With a contribution, I will put you on our mailing list and keep you updated on NEXT’s and the kids’ progress. Alternatively, I would be happy to meet with you to discuss our organization and the kids’ needs further.
I believe mentoring and opening doors for young people is the most cost-effective and productive investment we can make in urban America.
Best regards,
Pat Conlin
Treasurer, MinneapolisNEXT