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Nelson Mandela is famously quoted as saying, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use the change the world.”

It also may be the most powerful tool we have to affect positive change in our region. Mandela, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and the first black president of South Africa, was also the first person in his family to attend school. He believed in lifelong learning and felt that education would lay the foundation for the future success of his country.

The education of our region’s youth will also be critical in laying a foundation for our own success. The children of today will be the future of our tomorrow. And while college is not for everyone, education is. It is important for our community that our children be given the best opportunity to get their education off to a great start.

Unfortunately, the playing field in education isn’t always level. When children grow up in poverty, they often face additional barriers that stand in the way for getting the education they, like all children, deserve. While regional childhood poverty is on the decline, it still remains at about 20 percent – which means there are many children in our area who are at risk of not graduating from high school.

The United Way of Wyoming Valley is one of many organizations in our region working hard to remove barriers to education for children and put them on a pathway to success. Bill Jones, president and CEO, believes strongly that education is a pathway out of poverty and a building block for a better future.

“Our organization made a commitment several years ago to tackle the poverty issue in our region by focusing on the education and health of children and the financial stability of families. In 2012, studies indicated that one in every three children were growing up in poverty in the region. We felt that strategically focusing our efforts on the education of these children would have the maximum impact on their future and the future of our region.”

Many United Way programs and their partners focus on school readiness so that children show up to school ready to learn and reading by third grade.

Also on a mission to give children a great chance to have a successful start to school is Head Start. Lynn Evans Biga, executive director, says that families in need seek out the local Head Start programs to help their children have a foundation for a successful future in school. The organization works with pregnant women and children from birth to age 5.

“Successful children have involved parents – we do all we can to help educate these young children but know the people who can make the most difference in their lives are their parents,” Evans Biga said. “Because level of education correlates to level of income, we work with the parents to increase their earning potential by becoming more skilled and educated themselves.”

Every child in our community matters and there are ways that we can help. Many organizations can use our support either by giving or volunteering. On Sept. 12, the United Way will kick off its 98th campaign at Mohegan Sun Pocono to raise the funding needed to continue to efforts to bring children from “Poverty to Possibility.”

Jones says, “We greatly appreciate the tremendous support we have received in past years from the community but there is still much work to be done. Every child deserves a champion.”

All children in our region do and their well-being and education is certainly a cause worth championing.

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Susan Magnotta

Institute Insights

Susan Magnotta is Director of Community Outreach at The Institute. Her column appears every other Monday.