'1-4-3 Day': In Honor Of Mr. Rogers, Gov. Wolf Promotes Acts Of Kindness On May 23

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Governor Tom Wolf is asking Pennsylvanians to take a few minutes to be kind and neighborly today.

The governor has declared May 23 -- the 143rd day of the year -- 1-4-3 day, in honor of Mister Rogers and his message of kindness.

In case you didn't know, that means "I love you" and the day is meant to honor Pittsburgh's most loving neighbor -- and Pennsylvania native -- Mister Rogers.

"Yes 1 for I, 4 is for love and three is for you. That's the code," said Pittsburgh resident Allison Loughlin.

To encourage acts of neighborly love, signs went up around the city declaring it "The Kindness Zone."

"I love the idea of neighborhood and neighborly behavior," said resident Emily Embrey. "That's something Mr. Rogers was all about and it's something I really hold close to my heart about Pittsburgh."

Others we found expressed similar feelings.

"That's actually a really nice thing to do," said Ben Cogan. "I'm off to go grab a snack for lunch. I might just pay for the person behind me."

Brian Vertz told KDKA News, "I would acknowledge people and say hello, how ya doing, and have a great day."

Bicycle delivery driver AJ Schultz was so excited about the message that he stopped to express his enthusiasm to KDKA News.

"You know, you run into people that are having like bad attitudes down here. And maybe a sign could help bring it to their attention that they should be kind," he said. "Spreading kindness is easy, you just got to be nice."

And then there were those who took kindness to a whole new level. Allison Harnden actually started a Facebook page called "A reminder to be Kinder," dedicated to the concept of kindness.

"I just wanted to start spreading good news," Harnden said. "So it's little things -- little tips, videos, things you can do to be kinder."

The seeds of kindness and love in Mister Roger's neighborhood.

In:
• Mister Rogers