PITTSBURGH — Mister Rogers cared deeply about his neighbors and his neighborhood, both in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe and in real life.
Now, friends and colleagues of late television icon Fred Rogers want to honor his legacy with a national day of volunteering on his birthday. Rogers, who died in 2003, would have been 82 today.
David Newell, who played Mr. McFeely on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” said volunteering meant a lot to Rogers.
As a boy, Rogers volunteered at his hometown hospital in Latrobe, Pa., rolling bandages for soldiers during World War II. And, Newell said, public TV, where Rogers’ series began, relies on volunteers.
The idea for Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Day grew out of Sweater Day, which Family Communications Inc. of Pittsburgh has promoted for several years to honor Rogers. Rogers created the company to produce his show and other educational fare.
The volunteer day is beginning this year in partnership with the United Way of Allegheny County, the county in which Pittsburgh is located and where the show was made.
“We’re trying to establish this as a national event, but you’ve got to start small,” Newell said. “It’s really what Fred would want to happen. He wanted to help others.”
