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Lottery numbers for Wednesday, Nov. 25.

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UNICO renames MVP trophy after Berwick’s George Curry

<p>Not too long after I graduated from college 30 years ago, author Robert Fulghum wrote his New York Times bestseller, &#8220;All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.&#8221; The book was a simple but thoughtful reflection on childhood lessons that could serve us well all throughout life.</p><p>At the time, I was paying off my student loans. I remember thinking that if I&#8217;d taken better notes and paid more attention in kindergarten, perhaps I could have avoided four years of college and all this debt!</p><p>Life is rarely that simple, of course. Yet, I realize that two of the most important skills I need to do my job today at the United Way of Wyoming Valley, I learned from my mother when I was only 3 years old. Like most of us, I was taught from a very early age to say those magical words: &#8220;please and thank you.&#8221; I use them every single day.</p><p>The United Way of Wyoming Valley has made a historic, transformational change in how we serve the community, and we are now committed to leading the efforts to address childhood poverty in the Wyoming Valley. Locally, the problem is a big one. Nearly one in three kids, approximately 11,500 children, lives in poverty. There is not a single school building in the Wyoming Valley that doesn&#8217;t know the issue of poverty, or see the hunger, fear, stresses and hopelessness it can bring to young faces every day.</p><p>While the United Way will lead the fight, we know we can&#8217;t succeed alone. It will take all of us to address these complicated issues. This is where my &#8220;please&#8221; comes into play. We need donors, advocates, volunteers, schools, county government and court systems, media, partner agencies and so many others to help build the movement and join the fight.</p><p>Our annual campaign is now beginning to wind down. If you haven&#8217;t yet pledged a financial gift for this year&#8217;s campaign, please give if you can. It&#8217;s as easy as going to our website, <a href="http://www.unitedwaywb.org/" target="_blank">www.unitedwaywb.org</a>, and clicking on &#8220;donate today.&#8221; If that is not possible, please consider volunteering your time to support children and families in need.</p><p>For those who do help our community&#8217;s children through gifts and volunteerism, please know that I am grateful. Very grateful! I am often humbled by the kindness of those who truly care and contribute to making a difference. Thank you for your support.</p><p>In this season of Thanksgiving, I am frequently reminded of the words of President John F. Kennedy, who said, &#8220;As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest form of appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.&#8221;</p><p>I joyfully sign dozens of thank-you letters every week. My mother taught me well. She might not have been as elegant in her words as her favorite president, but her message to us was the same. Don&#8217;t just say the words, but show that you mean them.</p><p>The United Way of Wyoming Valley intends to do just that. We will truly thank our supporters and volunteers by continuing to do everything we can to lift kids up and improve their lives.</p><p>The complicated and hard work of reducing childhood poverty can be daunting. Magic won&#8217;t make poverty disappear, but magical words may. I am asking all those who can, to please help. If you do, it will be my heartfelt pleasure to say thank you.</p><p>Thanks for the life lessons, mom!</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Bill Jones</p><p>Contributing Columnist</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Bill Jones is president and CEO of <a href="http://unitedwaywb.org/" target="_blank">United Way of Wyoming Valley</a>. He can be reached at 570-829-6711 ext. 1230.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Bill Jones: Help to lift area children out of poverty, please. And, thank you