Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

Today, the first day of spring, the folks in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood back in Pittsburgh are celebrating what would have been Fred Rogers’ 80th birthday. And they’ve asked that “everyone, everywhere – from Pittsburgh to Paris” wear their favorite sweater that day. Although mine isn’t a red zip up and I didn’t kick off my heels for some worn in tennis shoes, I did wear a sweater to work today. I liked this little reminder of my childhood, which were filled with educational programming that always included a very personal visit with Mister Rogers, and usually a journey to the Neighborhood of Make Believe, my favorite part. I think this plain and simple goodness is something that I often lose sight of in my day to day life, so it’s a nice little reminder today.

When I was growing up my sister and I were not allowed to watch commercial television. However, we were allowed to watch a fair share of “educational programming” – which mostly included shows on PBS channel 9. And ironically, tonight – the day of Fred Rogers’ birth – I will be a volunteer at the evening’s KCTS Telethon! Remember watching those when you were growing up? My personal favorite was Anne of Green Gables. And I remember that as I watched there would be periodic breaks where announcers would come on begging for pledges to help continue to support educational broadcasting, with tons of people on phones sitting in the background. As a child, this meant “snacktime!” But for tonight, I will be one of those “people on phones sitting in the background.” Oh how my life has changed since age 7.

So even if you’re not interested in watching the Osmonds 50th Anniversary Reunion or Andre Rieu: In Wonderland, flip to channel 9 this evening if for nothing else than to point and laugh at little ol’ me. At some point during my shift, a spokesperson for Relay For Life will be interviewed on-air to give viewers an opportunity to learn more about our efforts (the main reason why I am volunteering). And hey, give your support to public television, especially if it was a huge part of your life growing up, like it was for me.