Fred Rogers was the host of the preschool television series "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," which ran from 1968 to 2001. | Wikimedia Commons/Unknown Author
Fred Rogers was the host of the preschool television series "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," which ran from 1968 to 2001. | Wikimedia Commons/Unknown Author
Pennsylvania native Fred Rogers always had a knack for brightening the day of his fellow neighbor -- or stranger, for that matter -- during his time as the host of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood."
For this reason, Gov. Tom Wolf (D-PA) announced last week that the fourth annual 1-4-3 Day will be held on Monday, May 23, which is the 143rd day of the year. The name of the holiday is an homage to Rogers, who often used the number sequence to say “I love you.”
The numbers "1-4-3" pertain to the number of letters in the words “I love you.” In advance of Rogers’ birthday on March 20, he asked Pennsylvanians to show their neighbor, stranger in the community or someone in need some extra “kindness, generosity and love” on 1-4-3 Day.
“I encourage all Pennsylvanians to join in this tradition, and they don’t have to wait for 1-4-3 Day to show compassion and generosity to others, particularly with recent world events,” Wolf said, according to the Official Pennsylvania Government Website. “1-4-3 Day is just one moment in time that we can practice the kindness and gratitude that are integral to the spirit in all Pennsylvanians.”
With Pennsylvania as the home of more than 122,000 Ukrainians, the second most of any U.S. state, the Wolf administration is urging people to support nonprofit organizations providing humanitarian relief in the war-ridden country as the Russian invasion continues. Organizations include UNICEF USA, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), United Way’s United for Ukraine, Americares and UN Refugee Agency. Wolf has taken a strong stance against Russia and supported Ukraine since the start of the conflict.
Carrie Fischer Lepore is the deputy secretary of the Office of Marketing, Tourism and Film for the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. She said that with world on edge due to conflicts, including the one in Ukraine, 1-4-3 Day is intended to inspire “more generosity, more neighborliness and more fellowship wherever kindness is needed.
“There is plenty of time to plan wonderful intentional acts of kindness in our workplaces, schools, communities and beyond,” Lepore said.
Recommendations for what to do for 1-4-3 Day can be found at Day of Kindness in PA or by following following visitPA on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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