George F. Johnson Dream Center
For Community Empowerment
Make your dream a reality, and change a nation.
“Without a Vision, the people perish,” and the vision for The George F. Johnson Dream Center is a springboard to action. The Dream Center looks to transcendent truths that center individuals holistically, while building relationships on common purpose. An incubator for creative solutions, it is a leadership center to keep the legacy of George F. Johnson alive, a legacy that says, “When individuals are extended goodwill and provided with opportunity, they are empowered to better themselves and their families. The Dream Center aims to build on the Johnson family legacy and keep it alive.
As loud voices clamored about the ills of his time, George F. Johnson quietly began a revolution. Possessing values that he attributed to his mother, Sarah Jane Johnson, George’s own love for people, natural tenacity, and unusual courage caused him to triumphantly depart from the popular science and philosophy of his day to forge a path into unknown territory. This spirit is what attracted Thomas J. Watson to the Southern Tier of New York State, to found IBM, and together, these men created “the Valley of Opportunity.” Through George F’s leadership, the eight-hour day, five-day work week, a fair wage and benefits became a reality in the United States of America. His vision shaped his region, and then something funny happened, it became a reality across America.
As the father of the Square Deal, George F. Johnson was a champion of the common man, who knew that the vast potential for good and evil in every person is the reason vision and leadership are needed at every level of society, beginning at the individual level. When individuals are provided this, amazing outcomes result. George F. Johnson helped change a nation and the Dream Center believes that each individual is given the potential to do the same. The Dream Center was begun to allow others to realize the dreams God has placed in their hearts to make the world a better place. The Center calls individuals to see the American Dream as it was envisioned by its founders— that freedom is not a license that gives permission to see how much individuals “can get away with;” but as an opportunity to see how much good one person can do; that goodness is the greatest weapon in the arsenal of “The great experiment;” and that until all men understand the transcendent truth of true freedom, as set forth as a biblical principle, the “Great experiment” hangs in the balance.
The key to successful self-governance is a battle against the tyranny that resides within the individual soul of every human being. The Center brings together citizens who would rather be a “Part of the Solution,” than simply rail against the systems of men, to chart a course to successfully battle the tyranny within the human heart that causes mankind’s flawed systems in the first place. Leadership programs encourage individuals to look at the life of George F. Johnson as a man who ignored finger-pointing ideology long enough to make a difference.
In the midst of a powerful age of distraction, the Dream Center reminds all generations who they are; as well as what a great, and rare privilege it is to live in a free society. It is the philosophy behind George F., his faith, his love for the ideals of his nation, hard work, perseverance, and patience– that provides the inspirational model of how one builds a life that leaves a legacy for future generations to build their own legacy on. The Center is where citizens join together to consciously remind present and future generations the story of our Republic, the courage and vision that propelled America’s founding fathers, as well as provides a framework and tools to preserve and continue this story through creative, local solutions, in the tradition of “Think Globally. Act Locally.”
Mission Statement:
The George F. Johnson Dream Center will serve as a reminder that the Great Experiment of Self-Governance is only as good as the character of the individuals who are a part of her. The Center points individuals to find out who they are and why they are here, and connects such ones to others on the same high path.
Saint George the Dragon Slayer
George was born in Cappadocia (eastern Turkey) of Christian parents. Following his father’s death, George was taken by his mother to her native land of Palestine. Here the young man entered the Roman Army, rising to the rank of tribune. When the Roman emperor Diocletian began a fierce persecution of Christianity, George relinquished all his military titles, protesting directly to the emperor against his brutal edicts. For his courage, George was immediately imprisoned and subjected to tortures in a fruitless effort to shake his resolve. The following day, he was paraded through the streets and beheaded. There is a legend that while in the Roman Army George came to the rescue of a “damsel in distress”. Mounting his horse, the young soldier, after making the sign of the cross, struck down and slew a dragon that was threatening to devour the girl. Hence George is conventionally depicted on horseback trampling a dragon. The maiden is depicted kneeling nearby, praying for her hero as he risks his life to save her. George is the patron saint of England. An account of Saint George appearing in a vision at the Crusaders’ victorious battle for Antioch in 1098 led to him becoming a popular patron among men in military service.
Our Programs,
1. Light a spark to live a life of accomplishment based on purpose and meaning;
2. Provide tools and guidance for individuals to discover passions, gifts and talents;
3. Set a course for personal development through education and skills acquisition;
4. Introduce how Life Coaching as a life-long philosophy builds on past legacies and begins new ones for future generations.
Where is America Going?
In this time of re-evaluation in America, in an alarmingly unjust and unstable world, there is a call going out to individuals to remember our call as a nation.
It is a call to:
1. Stop seeing the darkness as so overwhelming, that it paralyzes us;
2. See that united we stand, divided we fall collectively;
3. Agree that freedom is a gift, not a license that gives individuals permission to see how much they “can get away with;”
4. Know that all goodness comes from God, and is the most powerful weapon in the arsenal of “The great experiment;”
5. Understand that until all men know what true freedom means, the “Great experiment” of Self-governance hangs in the balance for all who dwell on planet earth.
“What Legacy Will Your Generation Leave On the Earth?”
The George F. Johnson Dream Center provides leadership by assembling and mobilizing youth, adults, and private service groups to work together to be a “Part of the Solution” at a time when doing so is critical. It is where the generations are given the tools and means to strategize to develop programs that effectively make a difference, rather than keep people dependent on flawed systems. The Dream Center points the way to the power of partnership in a time where we are seeing the consequences of forgetting our call to govern ourselves with prudence, unselfishness and integrity. A call is going out that we cannot afford to let another generation forget who they are, in this powerful age of distraction. As Americans, we must provide a framework to preserve and continue what our founding fathers referred to as the “Great Experiment” of Democracy. We must convey that leadership itself is an essential to self-governance, no matter how “individualized” our nation has become. We must take responsibility over the fact that this is our country, and it is up to us to govern it. It is up to each one of us to do our part. Successful self-governance depends on whether we win the battle against the tyranny that resides within the individual soul of every man so that s/he can reach his or her full potential. The Dream Center looks to the life of George F. Johnson is the hallmark of the Center as the inspirational model of how a life is formed that leaves a legacy for future generations. “What Legacy Are YOU Leaving on the Earth?”
To find out how you can get involved, Patricia Cardin, cardin717@hotmail.com. or 607-797-3938.
What’s Your Dream?
Find out at the Dream Center.
And then, in the Manner and Legacy of George F. Johnson,
Make it a Reality . . . and Change a Nation.
The Founding Of The Dream Center
When I moved to Broome County from Saratoga County, New York, I saw something here that I did not find present in other portions of New York State, a residual of goodwill, a quiet and unpretentious strength that endured through all of the economic downturns the region had experienced. I also sensed that there was something that the people wanted to preserve, something that kept them determined and hopeful– in spite of year after year of factory closings and economic depression. I did not know where this spirit came from until I was a student at Binghamton University’s School of Education and Human Development and did an independent study in a fourth-grade classroom at the Johnson City School District. There I learned about the legacy of George F. Johnson. My senior thesis as an undergraduate had been on Community Empowerment. The Dream Center was begun when my mentor, Dr. Daniel Ling, asked me to write down the vision I had been given for a Community Empowerment Center, and it turned out to be a vehicle for the George F. Johnson legacy of “lifing up the common man,” to continue.
The result of “writing the vision down,” was a fifteen-page strategic plan. At the time, I worked in the administration of the Children’s Home of the Wyoming Conference, a regional treatment center for severely abused and neglected children. I saw a number of kids who were from the village of Johnson City discharged from the Home because they were doing well, and end up right back in treatment. This is because there were scant youth supports for at-risk youth in Johnson City and at the same time, gang activity was on the rise, there was a high concentration of known pedophiles, easy access to drugs, and alcoholism and poverty were rampant. I had prayed a silent prayer wistfully hoping that someday I could use the basement of the church to open a youth center, but the basement was already occupied by an after school program run by the Children’s Home.
I presented the strategic plan to Daniel Ling in the Fall of 2005, as he was Pastor of the church built by George F. Johnson. He approved it and advised me to present it to Sarah Jane’s Administrative Council in January of 2006. Two months later, the Children’s Home, (whose after-school program served children from all over Broome County who were either exiting the foster care system or at-risk of entering it,) moved out of the building when the costs of fuel went up. (The program moved to a larger location near their main campus). I requested a meeting with Dr. Ling where I requested an office in the basement from which I could work as a community social worker and begin implementation of the strategic plan. I then met with David Black, the Coordinator of Sarah Jane’s education program, with a proposal that we join forces to transform the basement into a youth center for that neighborhood, with the idea that the church would use the space on Sunday morning, and the youth center use the space during the week. Opening a Youth Center was the second step in the Strategic plan.
