Oh, and this town

Is my town alright?

Love or hate it, it don’t matter

’Cause I’m gonna stand and fight

This town is my town

She’s got her ups and downs

But love or hate it it don’t matter

’Cause this is my town

— Michael Stanley Band

Last week’s kickoff of the 83rd annual United Way of Butler County campaign brings to mind thoughts of what it means to be a community. One major element must always be pride of ownership.

It’s a unique bond. Pride of ownership is a reverence for community institutions and traditions.

But while pride of ownership includes a respect for the past and tradition, it isn’t stuck there.

Pride of ownership is what sustains the Penn Theater long past its practical existence. It would have been torn down years ago except, well, it’s the Penn. It belongs to us.

It’s why some old-timers cling to the name Pullman Park, keeping alive an industry that closed 30 years ago, rather than celebrate Kelly Automotive, a thriving business whose generous contribution to the park gave it naming rights. The old-timers still consider it the Pullman — their ballpark.

Pride of ownership is an expression of who we are and where we live. Love or hate it, it don’t matter, the song goes. This is our town.

It’s a covenant of sorts, a sentiment to consider as the United Way of Butler County kicks off its $1.43 million campaign.

For 83 years, the campaign has been an expression of Butler County residents’ love for their community — a commitment to neighbors facing a variety of hardships and children needing a guiding hand.

Our neighbors. Our children.

But there will be a few new twists to this year’s campaign.

Kierston Hobaugh takes over as executive director, succeeding Leslie Osche who resigned after 14 years to run for Butler County commissioner. Hobaugh was promoted from her former position as the United Way’s director for results and performance.

Hobaugh says the biggest challenge for her is the behind-the-scenes logistics of a fundraising campaign. “The connections you need to make are not new,” she says, “but finding out the timing and things needed for each (donor)” will be her challenge.

And instead of a chairman, a three-person committee will steer the fundraising. Steve Powers, a health and safety coordinator at Penreco, is chairing the committee that includes Alice Lunn, the circulation director for the Butler Eagle, and Scott Covert, a training coordinator at Penn United Technology.

The committee is developing what Powers likes to call a fundraising hallmark event. “Something that’s a mainstay. A big event that we can do every year that people are going to know, that’s the United Way and I want to go to that.”

The campaign theme, “Do You Know the Way?” reflects the importance for agencies supporting education, health and income assistance to work together.

The changes add an air of excitement to the campaign. Innovations are supposed to do that. It’s all good.

At the same time, it’s crucial to hold onto the spirit of tradition and convention, and to continue cultivating pride of ownership.

Love or hate it, it don’t matter. ’Cause this is our town.