At the end of the year it has become tradition to wish each other a holiday greeting: one designed to share a positive spirit for now and an optimistic outlook for the future.
But to do so in 2021 would not be reflective of the reality. And, as such, being the change agents that we are, we’d ask you to consider this:
- In a year when over 800,000 of our fellow Americans have died from COVID-19, can we do better in helping all understand how vaccines work?
- In a year when we broke records with over 200 of our fellow Indianapolis citizens killed by other citizens, including over 30 children under 18, can we do better in predicting and mitigating murder?
- In a year when over 1,600 of our fellow citizens in Indianapolis are without a home, can we do better in rooting out and addressing the causes of homelessness?
- In a year when almost 12% of our fellow Indiana citizens live below the poverty line, can we do better in providing opportunity?
- In a year when a majority of our Indiana high school seniors will never enter nor complete college, can we do more to offer opportunities to learn?
- In a year when we are 47th in America in the percentage of our population that works in startup companies, can we do better in providing a pathway to prosperity?
We at NEXT Studios are, without a doubt, all about creating multiple pathways to lift yourself from whatever economic condition you are in, and so we are optimists by trade. However, tonight we pray for comfort for those who have lost, peace for those who have been victims of violence, stability for those who are without basic resources, opportunity for those who are economically disadvantaged, a future for those for whom the education system has failed, and prosperity for those who wish to act on an idea right now.
May God bless you this holiday season with healing to the pain you suffer, answers to the questions you ponder, and with solutions to the problems you face.
Sincerely,
John McDonald
Managing Entrepreneur