BETHLEHEM, Pa. — In the spirit of children's TV icon Fred Rogers, the community gathered Wednesday to celebrate public media and honor those who embody Rogers’ values of kindness, service and neighborliness.
Four community members were recognized at the 2025 Good Neighbor Awards, an annual event supporting the Good Neighbor Fund of Lehigh Valley Public Media.
The community members honored were Darian Colbert and Yolanda Colbert, Ilene Hochberg Wood and Judith A. Harris.
The celebration was held at the Univest Public Media Center, home to Lehigh Valley Public Media, which consists of PBS39, 91.3 WLVR Radio and LehighValleyNews.com.
LVPM also organizes education programs across the Lehigh Valley, partnering with teachers and nearly two dozen school districts.
Service and style
Hochberg Wood is an author and is known for her eclectic style and extensive collection of designer handbags (some were on display Wednesday evening).
She was honored for her youth work, specifically with Allentown Symphony's El Sistema Lehigh Valley.
"My definition of a good neighbor is somebody who believes in giving back to their community."Ilene Hochberg Wood
The program was founded in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1975 by musician and activist Jose Antonio Abreu.
"My definition of a good neighbor is somebody who believes in giving back to their community," Hochberg Wood said in a prerecorded message.
"To their friends, to their family, to strangers and to their fellow man, as well."
Love the 'community deeply'
Darian Colbert and his wife, Yolanda, are the founders of Cohesion Network, a nonprofit based in Allentown's First and Sixth Wards and Franklin Park neighborhoods.
The couple's longtime friend, Bill Cummings, presented them with the award (recipients also are given a red cardigan sweater, much like what Rogers wore on "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," which aired on PBS from 1968 to 2001).
Cummings said the couple's "passion" and love for the community reflect the legacy and life of the PBS icon.
"Years ago, I watched as Darian spent his day teaching leadership and job readiness to people who were incarcerated at Northampton County Prison through his role at CareerLink," Cummings said.
"Then, without missing a beat, he'd get in his car, drive to a school in Allentown or Bethlehem, and lead a character education program for students, bringing the same energy, the same presence, the same passion to every classroom, just like he did in the prison."
'Giving is more satisfying'
The Good Neighbor Fund was established to support its education outreach programs.
This month, part of PBS39's education outreach programs were temporarily halted — a result of President Trump's executive order to freeze funding to PBS and NPR.
"Giving is way more satisfying than receiving."Dr. Scott Garrigan
Dr. Scott Garrigan, founder and trustee of the Garrigan Foundation, spoke out against what would happen if public media organizations, such as LVPM, were no longer able to carry out their missions.
Garrigan was informed of PBS39's programming needs after a colleague shared an article published May 6 on LehighValleyNews.com.
To save the programming, the Garrigan Foundation donated $25,000, the amount lost from PBS39's "Ready to Learn" grant.
Part of the grant money is used to pay for a summer enrichment program available through Donegan Elementary School in Bethlehem.
"Eighty years ago in a European attic, a young teenage girl wrote in her diary, 'no one ever became poor by giving," Garrigan said. "That girl was Anne Frank, who speaks to the heart of all of us.
"Giving is way more satisfying than receiving."
'Invaluable tools'
Harris, an equity attorney with Norris McLaughlin, has served as a board member with the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Allentown Symphony Association and the Fund to Benefit Children and Youth.
She also was among the first contestants on PBS39's high school knowledge competition "Scholastic Scrimmage" and shared her experience on the 1977 season.
" PBS39 has proven an invaluable tool for learning, learning in factual balance," she said. "Fascinating global and fun ways throughout my life that have encouraged me to grasp for goals I never thought possible."
She asked others to consider donating to public media.
"Especially in a current world so desperately in need of a greater assurance of funding for education and opportunities for growth of not only our youth, but people of all ages and all circumstances," she said.
'Scholastic Scrimmage' documentary
A documentary about "Scholastic Scrimmage," which is celebrating its 50th year, will debut June 20 at Univest Public Media Center.
The show features students from local high schools who compete in a diverse range of academic subjects.
The Good Neighbor Awards will air on PBS39 in the coming weeks.
For a look at current PBS39 programming, visit the YouTube channel.
