President’s Perspective – Shaping the Future
Recently I had the occasion to visit my alma mater, the University of Missouri-Columbia. While there, I was reminded that we have the power to shape our own destiny. If you can dream it, you can become it.
One young man in particular, an engineering student, captured my attention as he spoke at a fraternity reunion. He shared how important the reunion event was to him, and how honored and inspired he was to be among the attorneys, physicians, engineers and other professional men of his fraternity. He grew up with few positive role models. The men in the room, he shared, set the example for him that family and immediate community were unable to provide. Their support helped him change his life.
If it were within their control, most of the kids at Niles would have very different lives. But while they cannot alter the past, the goal of Niles Home is to help them take control of their futures. Change is a daunting task, particularly for children who have endured so much. Success, however, will result in hundreds of adolescents and young adults who capture and hold our attention for all the right reasons. Success can happen when youth have role models--caring, patient adults who are willing to pour into them the knowledge and encouragement they need to forge an adult life far better than the childhood they’ve experienced.
Thank you for your support as we work to provide the fertile ground for growth and inspiring role models for our children. Together, we will change the future. President’s Perspective INSIGHT is a newsletter published by the Niles Home for Children, a non-profi t organization serving children and families in the urban core. The Niles Home is open to all regardless of race, color, national origin or sex.