Kokomo Kindness: How to Be a Kind Neighbor
Studio Zoom interview with Chris Loggins, supervising producer for “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood”
By ALLI LEE
The Kokomo Post Staff
At The Kokomo Post, it’s our goal to Make Positivity Louder. We want people who visit Kokomo to say “People in Kokomo are so kind!”
This article is month three of a year-long initiative called The Kokomo Kindness Project. We want to encourage Kokomo and the surrounding community to share stories of kindness and practice kindness daily.
Each month, we’ll share a blog in our “How To Kindness” series and highlight acts of kindness happening in our community.
We had the opportunity this month to speak with Chris Loggins, supervising producer for “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” in the studio via zoom call. “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” premiered in 2012 and is based upon the philosophies of Fred Rogers, who many know from watching “Mister Roger’s Neighborhood” on TV or a few of the recently biopics and documentaries.
Loggins shared that while many people think “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” is just a kids show, there are messages that can resonate with ALL of us even if the show is designed for 2- to 4-year-olds.
“It all starts with empathy,” said Loggins. “When you can truly think about how somebody else might be feeling or what they are going through, then you can be a kind neighbor in your interactions.”
The team at Fred Rogers Productions hopes that they are laying the foundation for empathy, kindness, and other social-emotional skills to be practiced regularly among children and the adults they grow into.
Who are your Neighbors?
Neighbors don’t necessarily have to live next to you, but they should share some kind of space or area with you.
“Anybody that you come into contact with or anyone in your circle (can be considered a neighbor),” said Loggins.
A few examples of neighbors may be that you ride the same bus route, work in the same office building, or even your kids go to the same school. A simple, “Hi, Neighbor!” or “Hey, There!” is a happy greeting to many people.
Loggins said technology and media allows us to create relationships and communicate in a personal way to be neighbors globally as well as locally. Being a kind neighbor to those around you keeps morale high, and creates a sense of security for the people in your community.
Why is it important to be neighborly?
Neighbors can be helpful during times of need. Has your pet ever run away? Maybe you’ve forgotten something important or dropped something and didn’t notice? One of the strategies in “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” teaches kindness as a choice. Loggins encourages making the choice to be kind even as an adult.
“I like to think that’s an easy choice,” said Loggins.
For some people, this may be out of their comfort zone but taking the time to introduce yourself to your neighbors makes them more likely to care and be helpful when you might need them.
This month we’d like to challenge you to introduce yourself to your neighbors, or if you already know your neighbors do something special for them this month. Here’s a general list of things that we appreciate from our neighbors.
If you notice a neighbor is struggling with something, offer to help them.
Assist with snow/ debris removal for neighbors who can’t or don’t have the tools.
Share some baked goodies!
Be available for trick or treating for your neighbors.
Let neighbors know of plans, guests, or events that may affect them.
Do you have kind Kokomo neighbors? Give them a shoutout and share why they are great in the comment section below. One of the final things, Chris Loggins shared with us was a paraphrased quote from Fred Rogers conveying how “we should all do what we can to make goodness attractive.”
We look forward to hearing about all the Kokomo Kindness that has been happening in the month of March. Help us highlight acts of kindness happening in our community by tagging The Kokomo Post and using the Hashtag #kokomokindness.
