“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping’.” ~ Fred Rogers, The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember
I feel sick watching the news about the unending oil spill in the Gulf. As someone who has worried about our water supply since age 5, this story breaks my heart. Bill Maher got it right when we so poetically stated, “Every a**hole who ever chanted ‘drill baby drill’ should have to report to the Gulf coast today for cleanup duty.” I agree.
Whenever these sad moments hit me, I go to my book shelf and pull from a small collection of books that I refer to again and again for inspiration. The World According to Mister Rogers is one of those books. For Christmas in 2003, my mom bought me this book about Mister Rogers. The inscription on the inside of the book reads, “This book is dedicated, in Fred Roger’s memory, to anyone who has loved you into being.” My mom added, “and continues to love you every day for everything you do, for caring so much about all of us. I feel so lucky to have you as my daughter.” Moms always have a way of making us feel better, no matter how bleak the world may seem.
Last week, my yoga teacher Stacey read us the quote at the top of this post. I had forgotten it and when I went searching through the book tonight, I found it on p. 187. It made me feel better about the Gulf. And about Haiti and Afghanistan and the South Bronx. Blight and tragedy play out all over the globe every day, making it too easy to get lost in the sadness. Look for the helpers – they dwell in every neighborhood, sometimes acting behind the scenes and sometimes taking their rightful place at center stage. Find them, wherever they live, and celebrate them.
Mister Rogers taught me about community and the priceless value of a helpful neighbor. I grew up in a tiny, rural town on an apple orchard. We struggled financially; a lot of people in my town did. But we had really kind, generous neighbors, and we tried to return the favor every day. We tried to take care of each other as best we could. In my cushy Manhattan apartment tonight, I may have left behind the circumstances of my childhood, but I never lost the lessons of good neighbors.
P.S. – Trish Scott, a very talented writer, animal behavior expert, and extremely loyal reader of my blog wrote a post several years ago about how Mister Rogers raised $20M in 6 minutes. She put this link into the comments section but it’s so powerful, I had to include it on the main page of this post. Happy reading!
Published by Christa Avampato
IN BRIEF
Author, journalist, digital product manager, and licensed New York City tour guide. Creator and host of NYC's Secrets and Lies. Alumna of the University of Pennsylvania (BA), the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA), Arizona State University (Biomimicry), and the University of Cambridge (MSt in Sustainability Leadership).
I build digital media platforms, report on urban climate resilience and biodiversity, and produce live narrative experiences that connect communities to history, nature, and place.
THE DEEP DIVE
My work centers on a single thread: building systems and stories that foster deep connection to our shared world. Across digital streaming, environmental reporting, and live civic storytelling, I design experiences that help people understand complex ideas and the environments around them.
DIGITAL PRODUCT STRATEGY & MEDIA LEADERSHIP
At Carnegie Hall, I serve as Digital Product Manager, leading product strategy, operations, and technical delivery for the video streaming platform Carnegie Hall+. I translate artistic mission into scalable, high-performance streaming architecture that reaches audiences globally. Previously, I led agile product and delivery teams across operations and compliance at American Express, managed Broadway theatrical productions and national tours, and guided strategic initiatives across cultural institutions.
ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM & AUTHORSHIP
As a freelance journalist, I investigate how living systems, urban infrastructure, and human culture intersect. My reported features on urban decarbonization, biodiversity, coastal resilience, and biomimicry appear in publications including Smithsonian Magazine, The Washington Post, Mongabay, Natural History Magazine, and Foreign Policy Magazine. In fiction, I write the Emerson Page young adult novel series, alongside upcoming historical fiction and nonfiction works on New York history, mythology, and human resilience. I also write Togetherhood, a LinkedIn newsletter focused on urban ecology and community restoration, and co-host the podcast Frameworks in the Wild.
LIVE EXPERIENCE & CIVIC STORYTELLING
As a licensed New York City tour guide and live event producer, I transform urban landscapes into shared narrative encounters. I created, produce, and host NYC's Secrets and Lies, an interactive live storytelling series staged across cultural landmarks including the New York Transit Museum, the South Street Seaport Museum, and the historic tall ship Wavertree. I also design and lead site-specific walking tours exploring coastal ecology, food history, and neighborhood evolution, often with partners at Climate Week NYC and the Natural Areas Conservancy.
DOUBLE OR NOTHING MEDIA
Through my independent production studio, Double or Nothing Media, I develop ventures across media, ecology, and public history:
Digital Products & Strategy: Architecting scalable digital platforms, streaming experiences, and operational models for mission-driven institutions.
Environmental Reporting & Publications: Delivering long-form reporting, books, and newsletters grounded in climate resilience and regenerative design.
Site-Specific Live Storytelling: Producing immersive live shows and educational walking tours that engage public audiences in community history.
CONNECT
Website & Production Hub: doubleornothingmedia.com and christaavampato.com
Newsletter: Togetherhood on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/newsletters/togetherhood-7273771832221089792/
Instagram & Threads: @christarosenyc
Emerson Page Novels: emersonpagebook.wordpress.com/
View all posts by Christa Avampato
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping’.” ~ Fred Rogers, The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember
Mr. Rogers and I go back a long way. I was raising my kids during the Viet Nam war. If the TV was on there was always a chance the war would end up in my living room so I just turned it off for the duration EXCEPT for Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street. I learned a lot about how to be a better mom/person when I watched with my kids :). What a force for good he was/is. I found this little video awhile back and it still does me good to take a look from time to time. You have given me the prompt to re-visit today. Thanks Christa for your always wonderful and uplifting posts.
Mister Rogers Raises 20 Million $$$ in 6 Minutes.
LikeLike
Wow! Trish I love this story and the link is awesome! I am going to link it to the main body of the post so everyone who visits the blog sees it. I love Sesame Street, too. Now that I have a little niece, I’ve been watching it more often and it always puts a smile on my face and teaches me something new. What incredible legacies Mister Rogers and Sesame Street have given us.
Cheers!
LikeLike
Oooops. Seems we can’t watch that video any more. That’s a shame. It was GREAT.
LikeLike
I’ll see if I can find the link elsewhere, Trish! It’s a good one 🙂
LikeLike
This is an excellent post (and I’m not just saying that:). I too get sick to my stomach when listening to reports of oil, water, wildlife. How can this be happening?
It’s nice to hear others verbalize what I feel and also put it in a way that makes me feel better. Thank you and thanks to Mr. Rogers, too.
LikeLike
Thanks, Sara! Just writing that post and remembering to look for the helpers makes me feel better. And even better, inspires us to be helpers, too.
Just saw your email and replied – would love to collaborate on some projects!
LikeLike
Christa:
Dear Lord, I wasn’t aware you could swear like a sailor!
Seriously, I would not put it past you if you revealed to this loyal reader that you secretly carry the tattoo of a naked mermaid on your muscular forearm, smoke an illegal Cuban cigar, and that your best friend is a bottle named Jimmy Bean.
Jokes aside, thanks for this post. Mister Rogers and Sesame Street were the best TV shows of my childhood. Ah, memories. It seems today’s kids may be slowly losing that innocence in a rush to be grown-ups. How sad for them.
There are all kinds of things on TV these days. We must remain vigilant. The childhood years are impressionable, and we don’t want our kids to watch the wrong programs.
Cheers!
LikeLike
Hi Archan,
Do you like how I put stars in place of letters in curse words? I just can’t seem to figure out a way that cursing is relevant on this blog. 🙂
I really hope kids can hang on to their idealism for as long as possible. And I hope that as adults, we can find a way to keep that idealism with us so that we can act upon it.
LikeLike
I am such a fan of Mister Rogers. His message is simple and inspirational.
Lisa
http://www.singleparentsavings.wordpress.com
LikeLike
I loved this post. I feel the same way. I try to celebrate good neighbors on my blog whenever possible. Today, for instance, a beekeeper friend offers advice on how to save the honeybees by living a non-toxic life. If only everyone would listen. Seems we are destroying our world, one environmental catastrophe at a time. Ugh!
LikeLike