LYNCHBURG, Va. – If you’ve driven down Timberlake Road in Lynchburg lately, you’ve probably seen it, bright billboards with a simple phrase: “UR LOVED.” No logos. No slogans. Just a message of affirmation in glowing letters.
“I am in my last quarter of my life, and how do I make a difference in the world?” said Richard Gallaher, the Lynchburg resident behind the campaign. “And I said, bottom line is, there’s so much noise, so much digital noise. People are on their iPhones, they’re on their computers, they have all of this input. They don’t need a long, convoluted message. They want a very simple message that very simply states, you are loved.”
The message comes at a time when many Americans are struggling with loneliness. The U.S. Surgeon General has called it a national epidemic, and a U.S. Census Bureau survey found more than 40% of adults in Virginia report feeling lonely at least sometimes, making Virginia the third loneliest state in the country.
“During the pandemic, people mandatory had to isolate, but then they learned to isolate and they learned to be alone,” Gallaher said. “And so people are becoming shut-ins. They are becoming emotionally shut down. And I’m hoping the You Are Loved sign sends a message to everybody that they are loved, that they’re part of a community that loves and supports them.”
The billboards are privately funded and rotate through several high-traffic areas around the city. For Gallaher, it’s a personal investment with a larger purpose.
“I could have put the funds into a new car, but what good does a new car do the rest of the world?” he said. “When people see the signs and they start crying or they realize who they are, it’s changing the world, one person viewing it at a time.”
Local drivers are already reacting to the message.
“I think it’s good,” said Kevin Anderson, a Lynchburg resident. “It spreads love, that’s what community’s about. It’s perfect.”
Gallaher says he’s already heard from people who were impacted by the billboards in unexpected ways.
“I get different feedback, people send me messages and so on,” he said. “A lady was driving home and said she was distraught. She saw the sign up there and she started tearing up automatically because she realized she was loved and she was important.”
For Gallaher, he says, that impact is what it’s all about.