This is the fifth annual PBS39 Good Neighbor Awards show.

Tonight, we celebrate the Fred Rogers way of always looking for the helpers.

- ♪ You are special.

♪ - This past year has been overwhelming, divisive and full of unrest.

This past year has also been full of hope.

- I'm excited to see what the future holds.

- And innovation.

- To see that all hands on deck, let's solve the problem, was really inspirational.

- Full of reconnecting.

In a positive way, really shaped the relationship that I have with my children.

- And focusing on what's most important.

- Looking at it from a different perspective.

- This evening, we will take you all around the Lehigh Valley to hear the stories in their own words... - This is positive.

- ..from those living the legacy of Fred Rogers, of compassion, education and community.

- Good evening and welcome.

I'm Stacey Stauffer.

Fred Rogers said...

But then there are those who say, yes, yes, it is.

They see a need and they respond.

Over the last year, many people in organizations across the valley did just that in just the most remarkable ways.

Tonight we will share their stories and honor them with a special award - a framed red sweater, just like the iconic one Fred Rogers wore on his show, a reminder for them of their kindness and compassion towards others.

Beyond the awards, we have more stories to share from our area, from those that make our neighborhoods special in big and small ways because of who they are.

Now, let's get started.

When we talk about those responding on the front line of the pandemic, health care workers are top of mind from day one.

We think there's no better person than journalist, author and health care advocate Joan Lunden to reflect on these extraordinary people in our community.

- Thank you, Stacey.

I'm Joan Lunden, the host of Second Opinion.

And I am so proud to be a part of the public television family.

Their stories have been extraordinary from the beginning.

Health care workers on the front line.

They have continued to show up and innovate and dedicate their absolute all to their patients.

Their incredible drive to heal and to make tomorrow better than today can be summed up in a quote from Fred Rogers.

During the Covid pandemic, health care workers didn't only give medical care, you became surrogates for families who could not be there at their loved one's bedside.

You gave joy to people who would otherwise be alone in their suffering.

And in many cases, you held the hand of people as they passed from this Earth, letting them know that they were important and loved and would not be forgotten.

You kept the humanity at the forefront of your work when so many of us felt so helpless.

You are our heroes and have been good neighbors to all of us.

Congratulations to the Good Neighbor Award recipients and all the other special organizations and people being honored tonight.

- Thank you, Joan.

The medical world really has been challenged in ways that were unthinkable until recently, having to keep up with ever-evolving science and design patient treatment plans, all in the midst of so much unknown.

The two major health systems in our area had one thing in mind all along, and that's taking care of patients, being good neighbors to our community.

First, let's take a look at stopping the spread with vaccines.

Lehigh Valley Health Network is taking vaccination distribution to a whole new level.

- Hi, I'm Anne Panik.

I'm a registered nurse and I'm working as a volunteer.

I call us Vintage Vaccinators at LVHN.

- I'm Matt McCambridge.

I'm the chief quality and patient safety officer at Lehigh Valley Health Network, and I'm also a pulmonary and critical care physician.

Today, I'm a vaccinator.

We're going to give out 4,000 shots.

And you can see there's hundreds of people that put this together.

- It's broken down into the different times.

- When this opportunity came up, it's like, OK, this is our time that we can do something, not only for our community, but also for our health care providers that are there, day in and day out, taking care of patients in the inpatient world.

It's very difficult as an RN to hear about what the inpatient nurses and physicians and all of the providers, all the people that are there taking care of the patients,and feeling like you can help.

I happen to also be president of the LVHN Retiree Association.

So I know a lot of retired RNs.

My understanding is that 40 people, 40 RNs, that they were able to draw back in to help give the Covid vaccine to our community.

- Welcome, everybody.

- Other people, the nurses that are in our retiree group have texted me and emailed me and said, how can I become part of this?

So we got them to volunteer as support workers.

And people feel wonderful about it.

They feel a sense of purpose and feel a sense of giving back to their communities.

- Vaccinating is, like, it's great for my soul.

I'm so proud of our organization.

So, treating thousands of patients with Covid and trying to care for our community.

- And it's been great fun because so many people are so positive and happy that they're getting the vaccine.

So, you know, you feel part of almost like a celebration of something, that finally we're starting to maybe get to the new normal.

- The hospitals reflect their communities, and communities reflect their hospital.

And from the very beginning, the community pulled together to help us.

And I think we helped them too.

Our nursing colleagues and the medical professionals have just picked it up.

They've done whatever required of them.

- We could not do these events how we do them without each and every one of you being a part of them and helping us get it done.

- I plan to do this as long as they need me.

And I sense that with the rest of the volunteers as well.

It just feels so terrific to be part of something like this.

- This is why we went into this field.

Then it kind of brings you back to the beginning.

And, you know, all those years ago for me, going into medical school, why we all did this to begin with.

And in a way, it was a very difficult year, but it was also really rewarding at the same time.

- Now, accepting the Good Neighbor Award on behalf of all Lehigh Valley Health Network employees is Terry Berger, who has been a leader in LVHN's mass vaccination events.

- I am so excited, thrilled, honored and privileged to be accepting the Good Neighbor Award on behalf of Lehigh Valley Health Network and all of our colleagues and their volunteerism in helping to protect our community during the Covid crisis.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

- Now to St. Luke's.

St. Luke's is bringing much-needed relief through their Covid Recovery Clinic initiative - specialized care for Covid long-haulers.

- I'm Dr Jeffrey Jahre.

I'm an infectious disease specialist, and senior vice president for medical and academic affairs at St Luke's University Health Network.

- Hi, my name is Dr Dennis McGorry Jr.

I'm a family physician and a senior regional medical director for St Luke's University Health Network.

- We'll start nice and slow.

- The year has been very challenging for St Luke's as well as our community.

- Going to here to see how far you can go in the six minutes.

So, keep track.

Let me see your finger.

- With long-haul patients, that it is expected that about one third of patients who have had Covid, and we know that that's over 100 million people in the United States, will develop symptoms that will persist.

- You're doing OK?

- Yes.

- Long-haul symptoms are difficult on the patient.

So they've gone through some type of illness, whether they had a very difficult Covid illness or even a mild illness.

- So I'm going to try to shoot for, like, the speed that you're just walking up and down the hallway.

- The symptoms can persist for weeks or months.

This becomes very debilitating in their return to life and to work.

- Get to three minutes.

There's your time right there.

- Back into just enjoying some sense of quality of life.

- These people need help.

And we've developed very organized, unique approach so that these people can get that help and tap into what is the most current evidence-based medicine so that they can get the best possible outcome.

- Two minutes.

Great work.

- So what we've done is empowered all of our primary care base to be able to see these patients, to evaluate them appropriately and then to expedite an evaluation on one of these sites.

This has been a physically debilitating illness.

- It's been a little tight.

- We've been used to dealing with that and other types of viruses... - Stop here.

-.

..forever, so these sites are very used to that.

Some of the folks are coming out of an ICU stay and really need very significant physical therapy.

- Still feeling OK?

- Yes.

- Not lightheaded or anything?

- Some of them just need some occupational therapy to work with some dexterity.

Our speech folks are fantastic at working with our folks dealing with brain fog.

They'll do specific testing and really work with them to help them improve their memory and objectively follow it.

So, measure how they're improving over time.

- This pandemic has created a long, dark tunnel.

We're well through that tunnel, but we're not quite at the other end yet.

I couldn't be prouder of all of our colleagues at the St Luke's network, who almost without exception stepped up to meet the challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic.

- Thank you so much.

- And all of that is due to every individual effort that people are making.

- And now, accepting the Good Neighbor Award on behalf of all St Luke's employees are Dr Kara Mascitti and Dr Peter Ender, leaders in infectious disease and prevention for St Luke's.

- On behalf of St. Luke's University Health Network and its more than 16,000 employees, we are proud to accept this Good Neighbor Award from PBS.

- I can speak for the entire network in saying that we have been truly humbled and honored during these difficult times to serve our community, during these difficult times with the pandemic.

But we also need to remember other essential workers who have served this community so well.

- Thank you to St Luke's and Lehigh Valley Health Network for all your work throughout the pandemic and now for all you're doing to help heal the community.

During the pandemic, food insecurity suddenly became a reality for so many families.

But in the middle of the chaos, Second Harvest of Lehigh Valley figured out how to serve more people more efficiently and in more helpful ways.

- Luis Rivera.

My title here is Warehouse Worker and Driver.

When I first started here, it was pretty much everything was on cruise control, going good.

But then we had the Covid pop up.

And it was very hard for a lot of these people, a lot of them still out there with no jobs.

So they depend on a lot of this here.

- Katarah Jordan.

I'm the director of Second Harvest Food Bank.

It was scary in the beginning, very scary to see the lines of people at the pantries, to understand and hear through the media how much the need was there, and to know that trucks were on back order, that food was logged up in the system, that people were purchasing so much that, you know, it was affecting us on a big, big scale.

- And things went from maybe one or two to an agency, to four, to five, to six.

It was a lot, it was a lot of work.

It wasn't easy.

It wasn't easy at all.

We're very lucky because our crew, they do everything they can to get what they need out on time, and they get it right.

- The pandemic has really pushed us to gain new skills, to network, to reach out to our donors and community partners, to really use the people who are around us.

We have been blessed with grants and donations over Covid to be able to increase our capacity here.

So as far as our truck fleet, as far as racking for extra storage.

And we try to, while increasing it, think about how to do it in a healthy, nutritious way.

When we talk about food insecurity, those things are all tied together, it's just that it is interconnected with a lot of what goes on in our community.

So when we talk about education, when we talk about fair pay, when we talk about housing, you don't have one without the other in some sort of way.

So I think really taking that holistic look at the human being and what they need is huge.

And I think that will stop a lot of the food insecurity that is going on in the community.

I am so proud of our front-line workers.

While people were bunkered in at home, while, you know, a lot of people had moved virtually, we were here, boots on the ground.

Our guys showed up every day.

- What I'm most proud of is that I get to do a lot to help people in need, especially the kids that are in school, and the seniors, a lot of them don't have what you and I have.

- The fact that we have been able to meet the need over these last couple of months is mind-blowing.

- Now, accepting the Good Neighbor Award for Second Harvest is Katarah Jordan, director of Second Harvest.

We are extremely thankful to PBS.

We are honored to be partnered with LVHN and St Luke's to accept this wonderful award today.

Our team here at Second Harvest are volunteers.

And, of course, our pantry network has worked relentlessly throughout Covid to make sure our distributions do not stop.

Thank you.

- Wow, what a fun group.

We will be right back with another award, right after this short break.

- Tonight's program is made possible in part by the generous support of... - Hi, I'm Henry Louis Gates Jr.

I'm the host of the PBS series... Fred Rogers said... Congratulations to each of the 2021 PBS39's Good Neighbor Award recipients and honorees.

Here's to everyone striving to be good neighbors.

- Educating during a pandemic has brought up so many questions, but it's also started conversations that have brought progressive ideas to the surface and has showcased the unwavering dedication from those who care the most.

Joining us now with more on that, and to announce the next winner of a Good Neighbor Award, is the CEO of PBS39, Tim Fallon.

- Thank you, Stacey.

Education is a cornerstone of what we do at PBS39, and early education is at the center.

Much of what we do in the name of education goes well beyond the quality programing on television.

It's special community events, professional development for teachers.

It's providing resources to parents and caregivers, and it's not set it and forget it.

What we do with our outreach is always evolving to what the community needs right now.

Our recent initiatives, Learning at Home and Lehigh Valley Learns, focus on the new world of remote learning and providing much-needed and ever-changing resources to parents, caregivers and educators.

We are so honored to say that one of the Lehigh Valley's most tireless forces behind the area's education efforts is one of our own.

We are proud to present a 2021 Good Neighbor Award to Cate Reifsnyder, director of education for PBS39.

- Cate is such a treasure.

- My name is Amber Emery and I am the education outreach specialist.

- Nature pack.

- I can say that there is nothing typical about the PBS Education Department.

It changes all the time, because we're constantly trying to meet the needs of our community.

Some typical things that I've been doing over the last couple months is packing smart sacks, which are lots of fun activities for our families to do at home.

Looking for partnerships with nonprofits like libraries, reaching out to schools and asking them what kind of support they need right now.

Before I even worked at PBS, I remember meeting Cate and being like, I want to work with that person.

When you have a leader that is really inspiring you to not only do your best, but to have the best energy around you... - That would be pretty huge.

- She just makes every single person feel so wanted and so needed.

I think the thing that gets her going is really that smile on the kid's face, and whatever way you need to get that, you know, that moment, that star moment.

So whether that's through, like, our summer jam and rocking out to some music, or whether that's, like, them really investigating this, each kid is different.

And I think what she loves is that moment that you reach each child and they get that spark.

The mission of PBS is so ingrained in who she is as a person, like wanting to be connected to a community.

She connects with every single person she meets on such a personal level.

- And then just decorate them with whatever they want.

- She could be engaged over a breakfast or a smart sack or in a family engagement program, like, all of these things that make PBS what it is is also what makes Cate who she is.

And it just is an incredible match.

It's really inspiring.

As a younger person in the field, I think I'm constantly looking for people that are doing the work that they love and doing it in such a way that they love to do it.

And she just really inspires me to keep going with that and to never forget why we do what we do.

- Cate, we are so fortunate to have you as part of our organization and our community.

You are our Good Neighbor.

- Thank you, Tim.

It's such an honor to even be considered for this award, but this is really a tribute to our entire team.

With the backing and support of the entire organization, I'm so proud of the work we did through the challenges of this past year, and we were able to develop new opportunities.

We are so excited about the future, to get out there again and have in-person community engagements and to continue to develop some of those new opportunities.

So I am grateful, and thank you for this recognition.

- Thank you so much, Cate.

And now back to you, Stacey.

- Thank you, Tim.

And congratulations, Cate.

Your passion for education is inspiring.

One of the efforts mentioned a moment ago is the Lehigh Valley Reads initiative, Lehigh Valley Reads is backed by a special unified effort of the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley and PBS39.

The goal is to increase the number of area third-graders reading at grade level from 65% to 100%, which would lead to more kids graduating high school and a brighter future.

Lehigh Valley Reads runs their outreach through many in-person events and visits.

Through the pandemic, that had to change, but they weren't about to stop.

Hi, my name is Angela Zanelli.

I'm the vice president of Advocacy and Policy, and I'm also the campaign director for Lehigh Valley Reads.

It's important for children to read.

It's important for children to hear words, to be talked to, to be sang to.

Reading opens up doors.

If we can't get to places, if we can't experience things firsthand, we can read about that.

One of the things that really came out of the pandemic as more of an opportunity rather than a challenge was our commitment to helping families across the region build their own home libraries.

We put requests out to the community for some book donations to get us started.

And we started a book distribution operation, really out of my garage.

With our facility closed, I was accepting donations, vetting books, sorting them, packing them, and then we would get them right out the door.

We were able to push over 5,000 books out to families across the region.

We have gotten wonderful feedback from our school partners, our community partners and families themselves.

Another facet of this Building Home Libraries program is that we're also now incorporating diverse book titles.

We want every child who reads books to be able to see themselves and their families and their lifestyles represented.

I think it's important for parents, families, caregivers to understand that we will not truly know the full effect of the pandemic on our children's education for years to come.

This is something that is going to materialize much later.

One of the things that Lehigh Valley Reads is doing is instead looking at it from a different perspective and looking at the resiliency that's been built from such a challenge and how we can learn from that and how that impacts education going forward.

So much of what goes on at PBS39 is all about connecting the community to educational resources.

And now we have a fantastic announcement from tonight's title sponsor to help with that mission.

- Good evening.

I'm Jane Brooks, lead community affairs analyst at Highmark Blue Shield.

Thank you for joining us for the 2021 Good Neighbor Awards.

Tonight, we honor our neighbors who immediately responded to the critical needs of our community amidst a year of crisis and unrest.

Thank you and congratulations to Lehigh Valley Health Network, St Luke's University Health Network and Second Harvest Food Bank.

At Highmark, we are committed to being a good neighbor.

That means ensuring our community has access to basic needs like education, food and health care.

We are proud to be the title sponsor of tonight's event and are pleased to announce the launch of the Good Neighbor Fund, which will support 185,000 children, parents and educators in our region with educational programs and resources.

For every donation made tonight, we will match up to $15,000.

Thank you in advance for your contributions.

Your gifts, no matter the size, make a difference and provide opportunities for our community to thrive.

Thank you.

- Here to talk more about the Good Neighbor Fund is Julie Brinker, PBS39's Director of Philanthropy, and chair of the Board of Directors, Steve Thompson.

- Thank you, Stacey.

Hi, Steve.

Thank you for being here this evening.

It's so inspiring to see all of our educational work in action.

Steve, as you know, PBS39 has doubled our investment of time and resources in recent years to ensure our education programs meet the evolving needs of our community.

We are so grateful to Highmark and all of our sponsors and members for their support.

We could not accomplish what we do each day without their partnership.

Steve, would you share your thoughts on PBS39's commitment to education?

- Julie, Fred Rogers said it perfectly.

The response of PBS39 to meet the educational needs in this community over the last year, and what we continue to do every day, is second to none.

Our mission-driven work helps kids get through these times and helps them thrive.

PBS39 recognizes education needs will continue to live on for many years to come.

PBS is committed to addressing this need.

Our education resources are vast, contributing books and smart sacks, online resources and professional development opportunities for teachers, literacy initiatives like Raising Readers and Lehigh Valley Reads, all support continuity in education and equitable learning opportunities.

And now, with the establishment of the Good Neighbor Fund, this work will continue to grow.

And I am so proud to be part of this organization.

- Thank you, Steve.

I couldn't agree more.

The Good Neighbor Fund will help us educate and inspire even more children this year.

Please join us in supporting the Good Neighbor Fund.

Your support will allow us to deliver more when our community needs it most.

Special thanks to our leadership society members whose partnership allows our station to grow and better serve the public every day.

Together, we are honoring Fred Rogers' legacy in being good neighbors.

- Remember, your pledge helps children and educators and families right here in the Lehigh Valley.

You can text to pledge or go online... Tonight's program is made possible in part by the generous support of... - A good neighbor, certainly in this time, is making sure that we're a part of the community, helping where we can.

I know it's been a difficult year with Covid.

For us, being a small, independent restaurant that's tucked away in a neighborhood, the community that we've been able to build and foster has helped us tremendously to get through the last year.

- Hi, I'm Mike McGrath, host of You Bet Your Garden, right here on PBS39.

As Fred Rogers himself said... My congratulations to all the winners of the 2021 PBS39 Good Neighbor Awards.

I'm Mike McGrath and I hope you'll watch me on PBS39 and listen to You Bet Your Garden on 91.3.

- Welcome back to the fifth annual PBS39 Good Neighbor Awards.

So far tonight we have honored four different Lehigh Valley organizations with a Good Neighbor Award for their work in the community.

St Luke's.

LVHN, Second Harvest and PBS39's Education Director.

And we announced the creation of a special fund - the Good Neighbor Fund, with the goal to serve 185,000 children, families and educators here in our region.

We thank Highmark for their generous offer to match the donations to the fund up to $15,000.

We knew we had to share more stories, even outside of the award-winners, of all the good neighbors doing what they can to improve our communities.

Let me introduce to you a young lady and her mom who routinely volunteer here at the station.

They are dependable, have a great work ethic, and take on any project that needs a helping hand.

Yet they say PBS39 is helping THEM.

- Our daughter had suffered a traumatic brain injury four years ago, and she has been on the road to recovery since.

She had had a hard break from everything that she knew as a normal life from before the brain injury.

So she needed to have a bridge back into society.

We work the front desk.

We answer the phones.

We're glad to be part of the team, anything they need.

All of the people who work here were so welcoming and so lovely to her, and it really gave her back a sense of self and a sense of accomplishment.

- My drive for being a volunteer comes from my grandma and my mom, because they've always been really involved in their communities.

And they taught me at a young age that kindness and respect and inclusivity.

After I finish a volunteer job here or at home, I feel good because I know that I did the best I could and that I've given my time and I probably helped somebody along the way.

When they open back up, I'm just going to like to see everybody again.

- PBS is all about growth and inclusion and just doing things that are lovely for the sake of doing things that are lovely.

- And it's a good thing to do for your community too.

- Anita and Alvie Fennell have been volunteering at PBS39 for more than 20 years.

They've pitched in on just about every job, and boy, do they have stories to share.

- Hi, my name is Anita Fennell.

- My name is Alvie Fennell.

I look at volunteering as an exchange of opportunities to share, care and to learn.

- Once I really got involved, I saw what it had to offer for everyone and how important it is to everyone.

- Once you get here, you buy into PBS' commitment for quality programing for the community.

- It's also a great couples' activity.

Everybody's schedule is so busy.

But when I hear from PBS, I let Alvie know... ..that we are signed up to do this and to do that.

And he's never turned it down.

- And you heard that clearly, right?

- Because I've had him in for TED Talks, the PEEPSFEST, which was fabulous.

- That was really good.

-Being ushers at the doo-wop concerts down at Symphony Hall, where we got to meet a lot of people.

- And security.

We were doing security work.

- Were we?

- Yeah, I was.

- Oh.

I wasn't.

I would escort the guests.

- Yes, you would escort the guests.

And what's really neat is when you have these functions and you see the kids, the kids come in, they're all excited.

They see these characters that they've only seen on television.

I mean, it's just a great time to be a part of such an organization that shows... that brings that much love and excitement to kids.

It really is.

Every time we participate, we have stories to tell.

- This is a story when we were doing the phone bank.

One occasion, because they will bring in live entertainment, Andre Rieu came into the studio.

- Yeah.

- And I received, on my end, I received a call from this PBS member, and she wanted to know, is he as handsome in person as he is on TV?

I said, yes, he is very handsome, but I never would have expected that.

You know, I'm waiting for a pledge.

And she just wants to know if my man was, as we say today, fine.

And I'm like, yes, he is fine.

- Did she still make a pledge?

- No!

But I also love the staff, and we're all like a family.

It's really a family atmosphere.

We walk in and someone says, hey, Anita!

Hey, Alvie!

You know, it's great, and they can joke with you.

So it's not always serious.

- But we still volunteer for some things.

Even doing the pandemic, we just take the right precaution, be safe, and the desire to volunteer to help others is still there.

- So I just want the doors to open back up.

I want people to participate.

I want people to be members and I want people to volunteer.

And once the pandemic is over, we're going to be up and rolling again.

And I'm gonna be in the house, along with Alvie.

- The McRaes and the Fennells.

They are good neighbors to us that give so much with their time and kindness.

Now we turn to Miller-Keystone blood bank.

They normally supply blood donations to more than two dozen hospital facilities in our area.

But when the pandemic hit, they were on the front lines of innovation to help the very sickest patients heal, and their staff was all in.

- Peter Castagna, president and CEO of Miller-Keystone Blood Center.

- Rami Nemeh, chief operating officer.

- When the federal government created Operation Warp Speed and they began to look at vaccine development, PPE deployment, and one of the areas they looked at were available treatments for Covid-19.

Convalescent plasma was one of the treatments they began to investigate as a treatment.

- Convalescent plasma is collected from people who have recovered from Covid-19.

When that plasma is transfused into the patient, those antibodies actually get to work right away and try to fight those viruses.

So convalescent plasma, in theory, might help faster recovery when it comes to Covid-19.

- Initially, it was utilized to treat the sickest patients, but as they've been collecting data on the treatment, as well as the number of patients suffering from Covid expanded, they began expanding the use to less severe patients.

We're fortunate.

We have a very knowledgeable and a very passionate group of blood donors within our community.

- Just about halfway there.

- So whether they were affected by Covid and decided they wanted to donate, or they became part of our missionary work out in the field, they were convincing neighbors, friends who had been stricken with Covid to donate.

- We were able, actually, to manage 1,800 convalescent plasma donations since we started the program.

We collected 5,500 doses of convalescent plasma.

We shipped 5,000.

So we were able to impact the life of 5,000 Covid-19 patients in our region because of those loyal donors.

- Yeah, let's do it.

- Our employees came to work every day and they put themselves at risk.

You know, we ensured we had all the CDC guidelines in place to protect them, but they came to work every day.

- On top of that, they had to learn a new process, new procedures on how to recruit, collect, manufacture and ship those convalescent plasma.

They worked as a team.

- And then you have our donors that did the same thing.

While they were being asked to isolate, they came in and they understood what was at stake.

They donated plasma to the point where we met the need of every single hospital in the region for their convalescent plasma.

- This is very rewarding to know that you were part of a team that was able to support during this pandemic.

- We talk about health care heroes, which we certainly have here.

And I'm honored to serve in this role with our employees.

But we also have community heroes.

So that combination really ultimately helped the health of our community, so the one word that describes it to me is just truly inspirational.

- Thank you, Miller-Keystone for your work to help during the pandemic.

Convalescent plasma is being studied for other treatments, a true example of innovation in our backyard.

Next, The Kindness Exchange has every type of baby supply you could think of.

All the sweetest clothes and shoes and shelves of toys and books, all free to families fostering children.

But what it really gives to families who have opened their hearts and homes cannot be seen.

- The Kindness Project was definitely an unexpected journey for my husband and I because a friend of mine had started a foster closet in Berks County.

It was something I had never heard about.

But I realized through that process and through talking to people at Lehigh County Children and Youth that there wasn't a free resource like that here in Lehigh County.

We decided that this was what was really needed and we would kind of focus our efforts on creating a foster closet that people in eastern Pennsylvania could have access to.

And so here we are today Back in this section, we keep all of our essential equipment items.

All this is donated and some of the essentials are highchairs, bouncy seats.

And then over here are the car seats.

The relief is something that I hadn't thought of when we started this.

I wanted to save people money by having things for them for free.

But what is almost a bigger benefit is that they don't have to worry about taking children who don't know them to a public store, possibly late at night, if the children are coming to them later in the day, to go shopping for those things that they need.

- You like it?

This is a special place that brings some happiness to their day.

- This little one here, he just came out.

It has changed so much.

We would get the call, the age, gender of the child, and we would have to make a quick run to Wal-Mart and pick up what we could with the funds that were available, just to get them through the next couple of days because they would provide stipends, but that usually takes, like, a month or so for you to get.

But now it's completely different.

- I had the joy of pre-Kindness Project.

Oh, my goodness.

Kids are coming in an hour and a half.

I have nothing.

OK, I'm picking up a newborn tomorrow.

The Kindness Project now exists.

I can get stuff.

Completely different experiences.

- Giver her her face.

- It's wonderful when we can find something that gets their mind in a different place while they're here, and know that what we're doing is making a difference in some small way.

- Elmo!

- Oh, my gosh.

- It is an absolute blessing.

It is.

How can you not feel great providing services and love and care?

People tell us that we're crazy, that we should be enjoying ourselves, going on vacations and not worrying about kids and changing diapers.

But this is what we do.

I think we find more joy doing this than it is going out and partying and then going on vacations and doing all that stuff.

I think we find more joy in this.

- To be able to step in and help kids get stabilized and get on the right track is incredibly rewarding.

- I never expected to run a nonprofit.

My hope was to help out and give some things to some people.

And it's really turned into such an incredible mission.

And to know that it's becoming pretty well-known throughout the Lehigh Valley and that people want to be part of it and to know that we can, all together, work towards that goal of making a difference for kids in foster care, it means a lot to me.

- You will grow a bond with them, even if they're with me for, like, five days.

- One of the hardest things is to to fully recognize that we're going to love these kids fiercely and hold them loosely.

They're not ours.

But we can play a crucial role in helping a family rebuild and helping kids get the healing that they need.

Another beautiful example of good neighbors.

We'll be right back after this short break.

- We would like to express our deep appreciation again to our supporters tonight.

This show would not be possible without them.

Thank you again to...

Thank you.

- Fred Rogers said... And joining us tonight is Joe Conyers of the Philadelphia Orchestra to talk about things neighborly.

Let's watch a little introduction to him before we start our conversation.

Joe Conyers' day job as associate principal bass of the Philadelphia Orchestra is the most public-facing part of his musical life, but there's much more.

He's also the founder and executive director of a community organization that works with young musicians, the conductor of Philadelphia's Old City Orchestra, and a prominent educational presence on social media.

Joe's road to the double bass runs not through jazz, pop or rock.

He's barely ever even touched a bass guitar.

The Conyers family was solidly middle class, a fact Mrs Conyers always wanted her kids to appreciate On one drive through a local poorer neighborhood, she offered her then still young children an insight into all that they had been given.

- There were some kids who were very disadvantaged, and I reminded Joseph and his other two siblings who were in the car that although they are blessed, they could have been in the same situation as these young kids.

- So, Joe, pretty clear that Mom would have been the kind of person, or is the kind of person that encourages neighborliness in her family.

- Absolutely.

- How did that manifest itself as you were growing up?

- We were very heavily involved in the church.

And when speaking of being neighborly, that's something we just did as part of the congregation, and the spirit of, how can you find a way to make someone's life better?

How can you find a way to... ..connect with them so they know that they're being seen and recognized?

That wasn't, like, a holiday or something done as a specialty, that was a way of life.

- We're celebrating neighbors tonight in the spirit of Fred Rogers, of course, it was such a central tenet of who he was and, you know, it was part of his job, was to teach kids how to be good neighbors, and was embedded so deeply in everything he did.

But here in Philadelphia, the city of Benjamin Franklin, he had a kind of an opposite way of forming connections with his neighbors, which we've talked about.

Remind me.

It seems counterintuitive.

- You asked them to do a favor for you?

Is that...?

That's what you're...?

- Yeah.

Yeah.

And then in return they will feel happy that they were able to help you with something.

- You create neighborliness.

- Let me then, in the spirit of Ben Franklin, ask you for a small favor - OK We have Michelle Cann standing by the piano, or sitting by.

And could I ask you to play something for us?

- Absolutely, it'd be my pleasure.

- Let me, in the spirit of Ben Franklin, ask you a small favor to show your appreciation for WLVT.

It is not your granddaddy's public broadcaster.

Beyond radio and television, the community involvement and the educational work that WLVT is doing in the Valley is extraordinary.

And, of course, that is supported by member dollars, |donations and support from the community.

So, on this night of neighborliness, might we ask you to also bear WLVT in mind when you're thinking of how you can be neighborly in a more wholesale way?

Because giving to WLVT means that you're giving to the entire community.

Congratulations to all the Good Neighbor Award recipients and honorees.

Back to you, Stacey.

- As our show is coming to an end, we want to honor the journey of parents.

During the pandemic, so many parents had their worlds turned upside down, and working parents had a particularly wild ride over the last year, with school and work schedules filled to the max.

The pressure of it all was like nothing we've experienced before.

We spoke with one local mom who says, before Covid, she used to live by the motto "Work hard, play hard" and was always on the go.

But then Covid hit and she worked on being still.

And it changed everything.

- Maia Green, developmental and reproductive toxicologist at ExxonMobil Biomedical Sciences.

So, prior to Covid, as a single mom with an intense career, a typical day would be that we would be out of the house by 6.30 and we really didn't end our day until maybe seven or eight o'clock at night.

So once we had the announcement that we were going to shelter at home and stay in place, I really wasn't too worried about it.

What I didn't anticipate was all of the pressure that I was about to encounter with the children's education.

There was so much that was put upon everyone in the world at once.

I don't think we'll ever go back to a world that we were in previously.

How can you, when we've lost so many people in our lives?

The new normal will be a new normal.

It will never be a normal that we are used to.

After some tears and having conversations with the kids, I literally had a conversation with myself and I made a promise to myself that this is a very important thing for me to be home and to work with my children and help them learn, navigate this.

It has, in a positive way, really shaped the relationship that I have with my children.

- I got it.

- And I feel like finally having an opportunity to see them as human beings, as people, as opposed to I am mother and you are my child, and you do as I say.

I'm not sure I would have been able to have that bond with both of my children individually if I hadn't had an opportunity to stay home.

- Thank you.

- When my children get older and they read the history books, I do hope that they can look back and think, I got through that.

We got through that, we can get through anything.

- We can get through anything.

What an inspiring perspective.

A quote now from Fred Rogers.

We'd like to thank all the good neighbors of the greater Lehigh Valley.

You all help make this the special place it is to live.

Remember to support the PBS39 Good Neighbor Fund.

You can text a pledge or go online.

We leave you tonight with the music of Craig Thatcher, who always brings good music to our neighborhood.

Thank you so much for watching, and goodnight.

- To paraphrase Fred Rogers... As human beings, our goal in life is to help each one of us realize how so rare and special our jobs really are, and we are as individuals.

As musicians, we try to convey emotions through our music, as well as granting respite from some of the negativity that may be surrounding us.

Tonight, Cliff and I are very, very pleased and honored to be here, honoring those who really stepped up to the plate, especially during this past year of pandemic, and really helped out with all the needs in our community.

So, congratulations to each one of you.

Thank you.

Here's a song I wrote for my wife, Christine.

This is called Before I Go.

♪ Before I go ♪ ♪ There's something I just got to say ♪ ♪ I want to let you know ♪ ♪ My love for you ♪ ♪ Grows stronger day by day ♪ ♪ Everyone told us that we'd never last ♪ ♪ Where are they now?

♪ ♪ Memory in our past ♪ ♪ I guess we showed them just how strong love can be ♪ ♪ Well, in a little while I'll be on a plane again ♪ ♪ Flying high above the sea ♪ ♪ Yes, it's my job and I love it so ♪ ♪ There's another place I'd rather be ♪ ♪ Back in your arms in our little home ♪ ♪ It ain't a mansion but it suits us fine ♪ ♪ Out in the yard with the kids and the dogs ♪ ♪ Just watching the world go by ♪ ♪ Before I go ♪ ♪ There's something I just got to say ♪ ♪ I want to let you know ♪ ♪ My love for you grows deeper day by day ♪ ♪ Everyone told us we'd never last ♪ ♪ Where are they now?

♪ ♪ Memory in our past ♪ ♪ I guess we showed them just how strong love can be ♪ ♪ Well, I'm not complaining about what I do ♪ ♪ It's the best job in the world for me ♪ ♪ Many people spend their lives regretting ♪ ♪ The way things turned out to be ♪ ♪ Oh, but the road gets lonely ♪ ♪ And I want to come home ♪ ♪ No place else can do it, you see ♪ ♪ So while I'm away, my heart's always with you ♪ ♪ Close your eyes and think of me ♪ ♪ Before I go ♪ ♪ There's something I've got to say ♪ ♪ I want to let you know ♪ ♪ My love for you grows deeper day by day ♪ ♪ Everyone told us that we'd never last ♪ ♪ Where are they now?

♪ ♪ Memory in our past ♪ ♪ And I guess we should them just how strong love can be ♪ ♪ Everyone told us we'd never last ♪ ♪ Where are they now?

♪ ♪ Memory in our past ♪ ♪ And I guess we showed them just how strong love can be ♪ ♪ Yes, together we showed them just how strong love can be.

♪ - This is positive, PBS is positive.

Positive broadcasting.

That's what it is.

- Is that what it is?

- Yes!

- OK. - Yes, it is.

- Adams Outdoor Advertising would like to congratulate this year's recipients of the PBS39 Good Neighbor Awards - St Luke's University Health Network, Lehigh Valley Health Network, and Second Harvest Food Bank.

Adams joins PBS in thanking these great organizations for their exceptional and unwavering support of the entire region during one of the most difficult times we have ever faced.

From everyone at Adams and the entire Lehigh Valley community, thank you.