AETN, Gentry and Gravette libraries partner in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Sweater Drive

Project helps provide warmth in Arkansas communities

GENTRY — The Arkansas Educational Television Network has again partnered with Gentry Public Library and Gravette Public Library to sponsor a Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Sweater Drive as a tribute to Fred Rogers and his example of being a caring neighbor. The drive will be held Nov. 1-30.

Members of the community are asked to donate new or gentlyworn sweaters at Gentry Public Library, 105 East Main Street in Gentry, or Gravette Public Library, 119 Main Street S.E. in Gravette. A receptacle to collect the sweaters will be located prominently within each library. Every sweater collected in the 2019 Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Sweater Drive will be donated directly to individuals in need through local charities.

Please bring items to the Gentry Library Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or Saturday 9 a.m. to noon.

Items may be brought to the Gravette Library Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and

Saturday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“Fred Rogers is an icon for both public media and public service,” AETN executive director Courtney Pledger said. “He dedicated his life’s work to ensure that children and their families had the educational and emotional tools needed to grow and prosper. “AETN is proud to work with partners across the state to carry on Fred Rogers’ legacy through the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Sweater Drive.”

The Gentry and Gravette libraries are among the more than 30 libraries across Arkansas participating in this year’s statewide Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Sweater Drive. A complete list of libraries and additional information is available at aetn.org/sweaterdrive.

This is the sixth year for the statewide Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Sweater Drive.

To help set the tone for a “comfortable” visit with his young viewers, Rogers put on a sweater and changed into sneakers as a way 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.

Over the course of more than 40 years, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” PBS’ longestrunning children’s series, 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. Additional information is available at FredRogers.org.