Bethlehem, PA – June 19, 2018 – To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, PBS39 and ArtsQuest have teamed up to launch a drive to collect shoes to help those less fortunate around the globe. Fred Rogers Productions, producers of the beloved series, and Soles4Souls, a non-profit social enterprise that creates sustainable jobs and provides relief through the distribution of shoes and clothing around the world, have partnered to provide a dynamic, community volunteer opportunity for PBS stations nationwide as part of their anniversary efforts. As fans of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood will recall, Fred Rogers opened every episode by changing out of his loafers into a pair of sneakers.
During the run of the new movie, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor,” from June 22 through July 8 at the ArtsQuest Center’s Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas, people can drop off gently used and new shoes at the cinema or at PBS39 studios during regular hours. To show their appreciation, ArtsQuest will provide a free cinema pass for every pair of shoes donated, and PBS39 will also provide a gift. The shoes that PBS39 and ArtsQuest collect will be delivered to Soles4Souls.
Soles4Souls will convert every used pair of shoes collected by ArtsQuest and PBS39 into value-added social currency to achieve positive change, both humanitarian and economic. Gently used shoes will be distributed to micro-enterprise programs that create jobs in Haiti, Honduras, and other developing nations. The resulting revenue will help fund the free distribution of new shoes in the U.S., Canada, and developing nations around the world.
“This incredible support from Fred Rogers Productions and PBS stations nationwide is going to help us impact a lot of lives,” said Buddy Teaster, President and CEO of Soles4Souls. “Just one pair of used shoes sold by an entrepreneur in Haiti can provide five meals for a family, and 20 pairs can generate enough funds to send a child to school for an entire year in Honduras.”
Since 2006, Soles4Souls has distributed more than 30 million pairs of shoes in 127 countries and all 50 states.
Tim Fallon, CEO of PBS39 said, “This is a great opportunity for PBS39 to work within our neighborhood to reach out and help affect the lives of people throughout the world. This is a wonderful and meaningful way for us to help celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”
PBS39 and ArtsQuest Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Shoe Drive for Soles4Souls Information:
Between June 22 and July 8, bring your gently used or new shoes of any kind (during business hours) to:
- ArtsQuest Center
- at SteelStacks, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem, PA 18015
- PBS39, 839 Sesame
- Street, Bethlehem, PA 18015
- For more information,
- please contact Jim Macdonald, 610-984-8130 jimm@wlvt.org
About PBS39
PBS39 is a community-owned public television station licensed to Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton, Pa., serving eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. PBS39 is owned and operated by the Lehigh Valley Public Telecommunications Corporation. PBS39 acts as the catalyst to promote civic engagement, and to fulfill the regional needs of the Greater Lehigh Valley through its dynamic communication platforms and resources. For more information, visit www.pbs39.org.
About ArtsQuest
ArtsQuest™ is a Bethlehem, PA-based nonprofit dedicated to presenting music, arts, festivals, cultural experiences and educational and outreach programs that aid in economic development, urban revitalization and community enrichment. Through festivals such as its flagship event, Musikfest®; the Banana Factory® cultural arts and education center; and the ArtsQuest Center and SteelStacks™ arts and cultural campus, ArtsQuest’s programming reaches more than 1.8 million people annually. For more information on ArtsQuest, visit www.artsquest.org or call 610-332-1300. Follow ArtsQuest on Facebook or Twitter @ArtsQuest and @SteelStacks!
About Soles4Souls
Soles4Souls disrupts the cycle of poverty by creating sustainable jobs and providing relief through the distribution of shoes and clothing around the world. Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, the organization repurposes product to supply its micro-enterprise, disaster relief and direct assistance programs. Since 2006, it has distributed more than 30 million pairs of shoes in 127 countries. A nonprofit social enterprise, Soles4Souls earns more than half of its income and commits 100% of donations to programs. Visit soles4souls.org for more information.
About Fred Rogers Productions
Fred Rogers Productions was founded by Fred Rogers in 1971 as the non-profit producer of MISTER ROGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD for PBS. In the years that followed, it not only created hundreds of episodes of this much-loved program, but also extended Fred’s 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. Today, Fred Rogers Productions continues to build on Fred’s legacy in innovative ways through a wide variety of media, and engages new generations of children and families with his timeless wisdom. The company’s highly rated, award-winning children’s series include DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD, PEG + CAT, ODD SQUAD, and THROUGH THE WOODS. For more
information, visit www.fredrogers.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Information provided to TVL by:
Mark Demko, ArtsQuest
http://www.artsquest.org/
On behalf of Jim Macdonald, Director of Marketing, PBS39
