It’s been nearly two decades since Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood last aired new episodes on public television. In that time, Rogers’ life has been celebrated with books and a documentary, and soon with the film A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.
In association with the new movie, the Be A Neighbor campaign is encouraging people to serve their community. The national campaign has dubbed November 16 “Be A Neighbor” day, a time for serving those in your community.
The campaign, a joint project between VOMO, a technology platform for organizing and mobilizing volunteers, and Sony Pictures, was inspired by the new movie about Rogers’ life, Robert Peabody, the CEO of VOMO, told Guideposts.org.
“What would it look like to tangibly live out Mister Rogers’ legacy of being a neighbor in our day-to-day lives and communities?” Peabody said in a press release. “It could be as easy as learning your neighbor’s name, writing a letter, mowing your neighbor’s lawn, or even volunteering at your local food bank.”
Peabody said the goal of the campaign, which will last as long as the film is in theaters, was to honor the legacy of Fred Rogers by helping people embody his neighborly spirit.
People interested in joining the project can visit BeANeighborCampaign.com to sign up to complete a task. The site features specific service opportunities for five target cities, and more general tasks that people can independently complete anywhere.
“I believe that volunteering is the best thing that you can do for humanity,” Peabody said. “Going out and serving somebody else [is] the most selfless thing that you can do.”
Volunteers are also encouraged to post pictures of their neighborly activity and use the hashtag #BeANeighborCampaign. Peabody said his team will be giving away t-shirts and movie tickets to select participants.
For more information visit BeANeighborCampaign.com.
