Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Mychal Threets was one of the keynote speakers and he was a delight to meet!

This week, I had the amazing opportunity to attend The Work of Fred Rogers Conference held at the Fred Rogers Institute in Latrobe Pennsylvania. Before I arrived I took a detour through Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. I hadn't been there since I was about 10 years old so I was surprised when I saw these groundhog statues with personalities all over town. Each one was more unique than the next and I quickly found myself driving around town to try to find them all. I made sure to leave enough time to see the main groundhog, Phil at his borrow located in the public library!

My side quest to see Phil the groundhog was the exact amount of whimsy needed before attending a two day conference that simultaneously inspired my working life and rejuvenated my soul. I am still trying to unpack all the emotions and thoughts I have from the varied learning sessions I attended and genuine connections I made with fellow helpers. I met librarians, educators, ministers, therapists, professors and so many more people from over 30 different states and 4 countries, each one so inspired by Mr. Rogers work and life that they actively use his lessons and core principals in their own work.

I am coming away from this experience with not only new ideas for my professional life, but also my creative life. My spirit has been renewed not just from the content and amazing keynote speakers but also from the overall sense of community and connection I had throughout this conference. Everyone at this conference was full of experiences and knowledge but there was no grandstanding or competitive behavior. Additionally there was an deep acknowledgement of and genuine gratitude for how hard we all work to better the lives of others, not just children but for people of all ages.

The Work of Fred Rogers lives on in all of us. We can all serve as helpers (in big and small ways), live and spread kindness, be present and listen to others, be our authentic selves and use Mr. Rogers' Six Fundamentals of learning and growing throughout our lives.

For photos of my side quests and from the conference, visit my Instagram and TikTok accounts.

#sidequests #fredrogers #conference