Why I Wrote the Vision Statement for the W.W. Reynolds Foundation

My sister Joan and I.

"To enhance educational opportunities and empower youngsters to pursue a life of meaning."

That’s the vision of the W.W. Reynolds Foundation. But it’s not just a lofty phrase. It comes from a lifetime of reflection on how we find purpose, how we shape our lives, and how much the choices we make truly matter.

When I was three years old, I wandered off alone. My parents were excitedly exploring a new home and hadn’t realized I had slipped away. I wasn’t lost. I was heading back to the only place I knew: home.

Someone found me not far from the house, and the panic subsided. But even now, that moment is etched in my memory. It wasn’t the distance I traveled. It was the instinct I followed. I knew where I belonged.

That’s the seed of the vision: that each of us, from a very young age, is on a journey.

And that journey is shaped by choices—our own, and those made for us by others.

My parents made a decision in December 1937 that led to my birth in August 1938.

My childhood home.

From that moment, their choices shaped my life: where I lived, what I learned, how I saw the world. Later, others influenced me—siblings, neighbors, teachers, mentors. Some encouraged me. Some challenged me. All of them, in one way or another, helped shape the path I took.

But not every child gets the same starting point. Not every young person is surrounded by wisdom, safety, or opportunity. And yet, every child will make millions of decisions—some trivial, some life-altering—long before they’re fully prepared to understand their consequences. That’s why our vision begins with educational opportunity. Not just academic knowledge, but real tools: the ability to think critically, to weigh risk and reward, to understand freedom and responsibility.

The second part of our vision is what gives it soul: "...to empower youngsters to pursue a life of meaning."

That line is my modern interpretation of a timeless American ideal: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. But happiness, as our Founders understood it, wasn’t about pleasure or indulgence. It was about virtue, self-governance, and the freedom to build a life of substance and contribution. What I call “a life of meaning.”

To me, a meaningful life is one in which a person:

• Makes wise and responsible choices

• Contributes to others and their community

• Builds character through both success and failure

• Understands how freedom works and what it requires

The WW Reynolds Foundation exists to help more young people pursue that kind of life, not by handing it to them, but by empowering them to build it themselves.

Because that’s when the world gets louder, faster, and riskier. It’s the point where kids stop being told what to do and start choosing for themselves. And it’s the time when social media, peer pressure, and shallow messages can drown out deeper truths. At that age, they’re making millions of decisions a year with consequences that can shape their entire future. Yet many are doing so without a compass.

That’s where our Foundation comes in. Through gamified learning, mentoring, and values-based education, we don’t give answers. Instead, we ask the right questions. We challenge young minds to define what matters, why it matters, and how to live accordingly.

That little boy who walked home alone at age three had no idea where life would take him. But looking back now, I see that every meaningful step I’ve taken has been the result of a decision and the people who helped me learn how to choose.

My vision is simple: to pass that gift on. To give more young people the tools, the confidence, and the guidance to pursue a life of meaning, one decision at a time.