Coming together with focus on what unites us

Eric Townes is old school. Like many of us, he remembers the way his home town, Media, used to be. The town where he grew up.

Specifically, Townes remembers a time when kids weren’t really alone, when they always had a watchful eye looking over them. And not just family members. Neighbors looked after neighbors – and their kids.

He also remembers something else about his youth. The feeling was a two-way street. Young people respected their elders.

Times have changed. Townes, among others, has noticed.

“About nine years ago, I noticed a real change in the community,” Townes said. “Kids, in general, seemed more lost, some of them seemed to feel disconnected and unloved or uncared about and I noticed an overall lack of good morals.

“Respect for themselves and other people in the community often seemed obsolete.”

But Townes was not merely lamenting the situation or pining for another era.

He decided to do something about it.

In the process he has offered valuable lessons for us all.

For the last few years, Townes and the group he founded, The Unifiying Group of Media, have been holding a Unity Day.

The idea is simple. It can be found in the group’s name. They want to unify their town, specifically targeting young people and others who sometimes seem adrift or on their own.

It’s a day filled with community, with residents coming together from every part of town to celebrate what unites them, not what drives them apart.

There are games, food, entertainment, sporting events and even a zipline. Last year more than 500 people turned out.

Townes has a big fan in borough resident Cheryl Borelli.

“Unity Day is the most beautiful thing that I’ve ever seen,” said Borelli. She now volunteers with the organization.

“It’s like a big block party, only even better because it’s not only one block of people. Those who attend come from all over the community.”

Townes is making it his mission to be sure that “Everybody’s Hometown,” the moniker lovingly applied to his home town, lives up to its reputation.

“It’s a day when both genders, all ages, all color, all races and all walks of life and all backgrounds come together,” Townes said. “It’s a nice day for people to come back to the area, if they’ve moved away, to reminisce about their time here.”

We are presented every day by staggering proof of what divides us. Not nearly as much attention is given to what unites us.

This does not go undetected by young people. They mimic what they see adults doing. They have their faces stuck in their phones. They withdraw into social media, while the social fabric of their communities frays.

A lot of people are beginning to think we are paying a high cost for our fixation on social media. It’s ironic that it is referred to as “social” at all.

Too many people allow it to blunt their ability to be social at all.

We don’t interact with our family members, let alone next-door neighbors and fellow community members.

Townes sees it – and its effect on young people.

Unity Day is a call to honor that which brings us together in the first place, but which is missing in so many towns today – the sense of community, the feeling of belonging to something bigger than just ourselves, or our friends and immediate family.

“A community that genuinely cares about all the children is something that is lacking on a grand scale these days,” Townes said. “We are trying hard to change that.

“All that’s really needed to reach out to most kids is love of neighbors and a good heart. The kids need to feel that the members in the community genuinely care about them. It’s the lack of self-esteem that makes most kids make wrong decisions.

“Coming together as a community to connect with one another, to help one another, and to get to know and care about our neighbors is a benefit to everyone, of all ages.”

We couldn’t have said it better.