WILKES-BARRE — Where would any of us be without dreams?
We all can dream — it’s what humans do.
But sometimes reality bites — dreaming can soothe the pain of that reality.
When we were kids, we dreamed of becoming a doctor or a lawyer or a fireman or a cop.
In my neighborhood, our dreams focused on sports — of being at bat in the bottom of the ninth in the World Series. In Yankee Stadium. And hitting a home run to win the game.
That was one of my dreams.
At least that’s the way I remember it.
I also dreamed of playing for Coach John Wooden at UCLA. After all, I was on the Junior Barons, and I was 6-foot tall at age 11 — surely I would grow another foot or so.
Like dreams sometimes fall short, so did I. I grew, alright, horizontally instead of vertically. I went from a dominating center on those Junior Barons’ teams to a marginal point guard who reached some level of stardom in the Kingston Rec Center’s “Goons at Noon” daily pick-up game.
Those dreams come back to me every year when I watch a Yankees game or tune in to the NCAA tournament.
But I have learned there are much bigger, more significant dreams to be had. My dreams shifted to the community and helping others, especially kids.
And then there is my dear friend Linda Armstrong Loop, who decided to leave Manhattan and return to Northeast Pennsylvania for a good reason — you could say it was a mission.
Loop had worked on Wall Street for 30 years, and five years after 9/11, she decided she had had enough and came home to NEPA.
While in New York City, Armstrong volunteered with Dress for Success and fell in love with the concept — empowering women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire, and development tools to help them thrive in work and in life.
Since Dress for Success Luzerne County became operational in December 2010, Armstrong said the program — her program — has reached thousands of economically challenged women from the area by providing clothing, job interview support, and workforce guidance.
Dress for Success Luzerne County continues to create programs to enhance economic and social development, encouraging self-sufficiency through career development and employment retention.
Armstrong once humbly told me that it is the most rewarding thing she has ever done. She also told me that Dress for Success gets to make a real difference in people’s lives.
One of those young women who Dress for Success helped spoke at Friday’s International Women’s Day luncheon at the Friedman JCC.
Myesha Upshur stood before 250 women and told her story — articulating exactly why the sponsoring organization exists.
Upshur, 32, of Wilkes-Barre, was emotional at times, as she credited Loop and Dress for Success Luzerne County for changing her life.
When Upshur was finished, the 250 in attendance rose to their feet and gave her a standing ovation, which she and Dress for Success appropriately deserved.
“I grew up in Williamsport and, at times, I struggled,” Upshur said. “I managed to get through, but I did make some mistakes.”
Upshur candidly revealed that she was incarcerated for a short time, and she was able to participate in a work-release program. That’s where she met Loop, who provided her with professional clothes for interviews — and she also gave Upshur hope for a better future.
“Myesha was able to achieve her goals,” Loop said. “She got a job at Wendy’s. And she was promoted to manager while she was on work-release. One more thing about Myesha — while she was in the Luzerne County Correctional Facility, she would walk to work at Wendy’s in Edwardsville every day — and back to the LCCF.”
Upshur, who is the mother of two children, ages 15 and 6, said she wanted to change, and Loop and Dress for Success made it possible.
“I am blessed to have met Linda Loop,” Upshur said.
So many feel the same way about Loop.
Back to those kids and their childhood dreams. Some kids actually did dream of becoming a doctor or a lawyer or a fireman or a cop — or the President of the United States.
Needless to say, many of those dreams never happened — but most followed other dreams and accomplished much good. It’s what building a life and a community are all about. Together, we can dream of a better world and work together to make that happen.
So the Way Back Machine will stay in the garage for now, and I will leave the dreams of my childhood in my mind, and I will continue to live the dream of helping by working together in our community.
Linda Loop and Dress for Success helped dreams come true over and over and over again.
Look no further than Myesha Upshur to confirm that.