Be a Good Neighbor Day will go on this week — online

Pitt volunteer with Be a Good Neighbor t-shirt

By DONOVAN HARRELL

The annual Be a Good Neighbor Day will be going virtual on March 28 and will help promote Pitt’s various community partners.

Typically, the service day takes place at Pitt and in its surrounding communities guided by the theme espoused by Fred Rogers to “be a good neighbor,” but this year, the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic has forced PittServes and the Signature Days of Service student committee to adopt a different strategy.

Representatives from PittServes and the committee will jump online from 1 to 3 p.m. to highlight Pitt’s various community partners and their needs, said Kristy Giandomenico, the outreach coordinator for PittServes.

The social media posts on Facebook and Instagram also will “talk about what you can do sitting on your couch from home to help the community in this time of need,” Giandomenico said. 

“(We’re) trying to make it as interactive as possible,” Giandomenico said. “Then trying to make some action happen after that.”

The posts will be published on the committee’s Instagram account @pitt.sdos with PittServes sharing the posts and additional information on InstagramFacebook and Twitter.

The social media campaign also may include polls on Instagram or surveys of some kind, Giandomenico said. There will be a push for Pitt faculty and staff to participate in community service outside of Be a Good Neighbor Day.

Shenay Jeffrey, assistant director of PittServes, said that the core mission of the service day hasn’t changed in spite of the virus.

 “The bigger thing about this is in times like this, how are we a good neighbor?” Jeffrey said. “And this is for everybody … and we want them to share their stories of a good neighbor and what that means to them. And also highlighting the neighborhoods as well in Pittsburgh and the folks that are doing stuff here”

For more information and to get involved, contact PittServes at serves@pitt.edu.

Donovan Harrell is a writer for the University Times. Reach him at dharrell@pitt.edu or 412-383-9905.

 

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