A sweater drive is scheduled to take place at Pea Ridge Community Library and 43 other libraries across the state beginning Nov. 5.
The "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood Sweater Drive" -- named after Fred Rogers, the cardigan-wearing host of the show "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" as a tribute to him and his example of being a caring neighbor -- will be held at 44 libraries across the state from Nov. 5-30, Arkansas PBS said in a news release.
"Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" was PBS's longest-running children's series. To help set the tone for a "comfortable" visit with his young viewers, Rogers put on a sweater and changed into sneakers to help children settle in for "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood." All of Rogers' original sweaters were knitted by his mother, Nancy McFeely Rogers. Each year, she knitted a dozen sweaters and gave them to family and close friends at Christmas.
For the sweater drive in Arkansas, people are asked to donate new or gently worn sweaters, as well as other cold-weather clothing, at participating libraries or at Arkansas PBS headquarters in Conway. Sweaters collected in this drive will be distributed by local charities.
"All of us, at some time or other, need help," Fred Rogers said. "And, whether we're giving or receiving a sweater, each one of us has something valuable to bring to this world.
"That's one of the things that connects us as neighbors – in our way, everyone is a giver and receiver."
The show earned four Daytime Emmys. As a testament to his legacy, Rogers received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997 and was recognized in 2002 with a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, for his contributions to children's development and education using broadcast television.
The Fred Rogers Company was founded by Rogers in 1971 as the nonprofit producer of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" for PBS. In the years that followed, it not only created hundreds of episodes, but it also extended Rogers' values and approach to other efforts in promoting children's social, emotional and behavioral health and supporting parents, caregivers, teachers and other professionals in their work with children. The Fred Rogers Company continues to build on his legacy through a wide variety of media and by engaging new generations of children and families with his timeless wisdom.