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“You may say I am a dreamer. But I’m not the only one.
I hope someday you may join us. And the world will live as one.”
– John Lennon
A few weeks ago, I completed another lap around the sun and turned 60 years old. It was a busy day for me so I really didn’t give too much thought about reaching this milestone birthday.
On my way home that evening after a wonderful community event, I finally found myself thinking about my day, the passage of time, and the wisdom that hopefully comes with age. I was listening to the car radio and John Lennon’s “Imagine” came on.
“Imagine” is ranked number three on Rolling Stones’ Top 500 Greatest Songs of All-Time list and is clearly Lennon’s most iconic work as a solo artist. It is frequently played during the holiday season and for nearly 20 years has been played shortly before the ball is dropped on New Year’s Eve in New York City.
The song, of course, is not without its critics and controversies. Setting those aside, the timeless lyrics invite us to dream of a world living in peace and united in humanity. This is an idealistic and powerful message that inspires hope and, more than 50 years after its release, continues to make the song a popular global anthem.
As I listened to “Imagine,” I also reflected on our work at the United Way where, across the country and throughout the world, our motto is LIVE UNITED. To me, the words LIVE UNITED are much more than a slogan; they are a call to action.
To LIVE UNITED is to recognize that we are all interconnected and that by working together and caring for each other, we can improve the conditions for all. In Lennon’s more poetic words, LIVE UNITED is akin to “the world living as one.”
While a world united and living in peace is still a dream to be realized, it is difficult for most of us to really have an impact on the entire world. Yet, I fully believe that by working together and caring for each other, we do have the ability to improve lives and effect positive change at least within our own communities. This philosophy is core to the work of the United Way and it is successfully driving our goals and many initiatives here in the Wyoming Valley.
I am a dreamer as well and ever since the United Way adopted its focus on childhood poverty, I have always imagined our community as a place where all families are stable and children are thriving. As I approach my 20th anniversary as the organization’s president, I recognize that there is so much more to do to advance this vision and truly improve the odds of success for children and others in need.
The older I get, the more impassioned I am about helping as many at-risk kids as possible. We all know that the key to actually changing something, though, is turning imagination into action and “doing” must follow “dreaming.”
The United Way of Wyoming Valley is wrapping up its 2023 Annual Campaign. Because the community support we receive fuels the “doing,” and there is so much to be done, I am hoping, as Lennon did, that you will join us. If you are able to, please visit www.unitedwaywb.org and consider a gift to this year’s campaign.
To borrow from John Lennon, “imagine all the people” LIVING UNITED …
Happiest of holidays to you and yours.
Bill Jones is president and CEO of the United Way of Wyoming Valley.