Guests at the event were treated to buffet-style dining.
United Way of Wyoming Valley launches 103rd campaign
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Yvette Magistro, Vice President of Resource Development at the United Way of Wyoming Valley, delivers remarks during the event.
Former MLB player and motivational speaker Jim ‘The Rookie’ Morris gives the keystone address during the United Way’s annual campaign kickoff dinner Thursday at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
Margaret Roarty | Times Leader
Former MLB player and motivational speaker Jim ‘The Rookie’ Morris gives the keystone address during the United Way’s annual campaign kickoff dinner Thursday at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
Margaret Roarty | Times Leader
Bill Jones, right, and keystone speaker Jim ‘The Rookie’ Morris, left, chat before the event begins.
Margaret Roarty | Times Leader
United Way CEO Bill Jones speaks during the organization’s campaign kickoff dinner Thursday night.
Margaret Roarty | Times Leader
WILKES-BARRE — The United Way of Wyoming Valley celebrated the launch of its 103rd campaign Thursday evening with a dinner in the Keystone Grand Ballroom at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
“This year’s campaign theme, ‘What if’, focuses on the needs of kids living in poverty and what can be possible for them and for our community,” CEO Bill Jones told the room full of guests. “While there’s still so much work to be done, ‘What if’ is really a call to action.”
According to the organization, more than 18,000 children last year benefited from the funding and support provided by United Way community partners.
Even with that success, Board Chair Tara Mugford Wilson pointed out that the mission of the United Way is far from over, as 1 in 4 children in the Wyoming Valley continue to live in poverty.
Additionally, children are still feeling the ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and because of that, many are struggling to catch up academically.
“The undeniable learning loss has reverberated throughout elementary, middle, high school and life. It has even been noticed and discussed at collegiate levels as students show up less and less prepared,” Mugford Wilson said.
Amid those unprecedented challenges, the board chair said the United Way is “working tirelessly” to address them.
“We work every day to improve the lives of our youngest citizens and to provide the tools to change the trajectory of their future,” she said.
Saying goodbye
Also during the event, longtime CEO and President Bill Jones was given a final send-off by his colleagues as he prepares to depart the organization after 12 years at the end of the month.
Jones announced his resignation several weeks ago and told the Times Leader before the event that he felt confident he was leaving The United Way in good hands.
“I leave on a very positive note to take on some other challenges and I’m excited about that,” said Jones, adding that he plans to announce his new adventure sometime next week.
Before bringing Jones onto the stage, Mugford Wilson shared some highlights from his tenure as president and CEO.
Under his direction, The United Way launched the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which has enrolled over 8,000 children and brought 200,000 books into the community.
Additionally, Jones championed the Nurse’s Pantry, providing health and hygiene items to over 5,400 students and 30 across 34 school schools last year and partnered with the McGowan Foundation to bring school-based community navigator program at Kisler Elementary, helping prevent absenteeism by addressing student and family needs.
Most recently, in conjunction with the Family Service Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Jones helped launch the Parent Support Line, helping parents and caregivers navigate complexities of raising children in today’s world.
“We’ll miss Bill, but we are certain that the passion and hard work of the entire United Way staff remains steadfast,” Mugford Wilson said.
As he walked on stage, Jones received a standing ovation from guests and struggled to hold back tears as he thanked his staff for a decade’s worth of service and friendship.
“We share more than an office. We share a life and we shared a purpose. I’m grateful to each of you, and I will miss you deeply,” Jones said.
Keynote address
The keystone speaker for this year’s event was Jim ‘The Rookie’ Morris, 60, a former MLB player who, at the age of 35, became the oldest rookie to ever debut in the major league.
His inspiring life story was the basis of the 2002 film, ‘The Rookie,’ starring Denis Quaid. Since 2001, Morris has traveled the world as a motivational speaker.
Morris and his wife, Shawna, founded the Jim ‘The Rookie’ Morris Foundation in 2015 in order to give kids the opportunity to participate in sports by supporting low-income communities and providing equipment and sports clinics.
Giving kids access to sports is important to Morris because it was sports that saved his life after suffering 15 years of emotional and physical abuse at the hands of his parents.
“In between the lines of the field, I could be the kid I was supposed to be,” he said.
Morris went on to stress the importance of community support when it comes to giving kids the future they deserve.
“There are a lot of problems to solve and we’d do it a lot better if we’d do it together. That’s what the United Way does.”