Mister Rogers Won't You Be My Neighbor? Day
History & How to Celebrate Won't You Wear a Sweater? Day
Mar 16, 2009
March 20th is Won't You Be My Neighbor? Day. On and around this day, people in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and across the United States honor the birthday of Fred Rogers, the creator of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. They wear their favorite sweaters and participate in a variety of Pittsburgh events and activities organized to celebrate and promote kindness and the act of being a good neighbor.
History of Won't You Be My Neighbor? Day
The first Won't You Be My Neighbor? Day was held on March 20, 2008, as part of the celebration for Pittsburgh's 250th anniversary. It marked what would have been Fred Rogers' 80th birthday and was so successful that the following year Family Communications, Inc (Fred Rogers' nonprofit company) proclaimed it an annual national event.
Visit Pittsburgh to Celebrate WYBMND
Pittsburgh WYBMND celebrations center around the theme of gathering together as a community to share experiences and to help others.
Various branches of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh mark the occasion with family-friendly events including activities such as constructing neighborhood buildings out of craft materials, showing films about Mister Rogers, holding special storytime sessions, and sharing cake.
Groups such as the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh organize sweater drives to collect donations of gently used sweaters. The Carnegie Library also holds food drives and diaper drives.
Local Pittsburgh museums and other community organizations such as the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, the Carnegie Museum of Art, The Frick Art & Historical Center, the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, the Mattress Factory, and the National Aviary offer special family tours, programs and art-making activities focusing on topics related to being good neighbors, and reduced or free admission.
Celebrate Won't You Be My Neighbor? Day
Not everyone can visit Pittsburgh for this special day, so parents, children, community organizations, and anyone else interested in honoring Fred Rogers, promoting kindness, and being a good neighbor can visit the Family Communications Web site to retrieve information about the day.
Materials available include:
- a clip of David Newell, FCI's public relations director and the actor who plays Mr. McFeely, asking neighbors everywhere to wear their favorite sweaters on March 20th.
- a toolkit containing activity ideas for the day, suggestions for how to create partnerships within a neighborhood, information about Fred Rogers' approach to neighborliness, promotion ideas, and a list of support materials.
- a Caring Neighbor checklist full of suggestions for how people can be kinder to each other and help their communities.
How to Make Each Day a Neighborly Day
Before WYBMND, people are invited to share their ideas for being neighborly with the Family Communications Web site. After celebrating WYBMND, participants can send in pictures of events they held and how they looked wearing their favorite sweaters. Ultimately, FCI would like March 20th to become an annual national day of community service.
Instead of limiting the spirit of neighborliness to just one day, though, why not keep Fred Rogers' legacy alive every day? Parents, families, and communities can use the ideas offered by FCI, as well as the example of Mister Rogers' life, as inspiration for neighborly acts, events, and promotions that can take place at any time.
The Family Communications Web site quotes Fred Rogers, America's favorite neighbor, as saying, "Imagine what our real neighborhoods would be like, if each of us offered as a matter of course, just one kind word to another person...One kind word has a wonderful way of turning into many."
So why not make the most of this beautiful day and let the actions of one kind neighborly day turn into many neighborly days and a closer, kinder family life and neighborhood community?
References
- Family Communications (February 27, 2009). Won't You Wear a Sweater? The Sequel. Press release. Retrieved on 2009-03-15.
- Visit Pittsburgh (March 2009). Won't You Be My Neighbor? Day Events. Retrieved on 2009-03-15.
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