By MARY BAILEY The Reporter

Alabama Public Television selected the Boaz Public Library for their yearly “Be My Neighbor Day” celebration on Saturday.

Almost 1,000 people walked through the doors of the Boaz Public Library and did different activities and crafts and overall, learned what it meant to be a good neighbor.

“Alabama Public Television was thrilled to bring Be My Neighbor Day to the Boaz Library! It was an incredible day filled with joy, learning, and community spirit. Seeing the excitement on children’s faces as they met Daniel Tiger was absolutely priceless. Families enjoyed a day full of engaging activities, and APT was proud to provide valuable resources that support parents and children while reinforcing the importance of being a good neighbor. Events like this truly bring communities together, and we are honored to have the Boaz Public Library host it with us,” said Wayne Reid, Executive Director of Alabama Public Television.

Children with faces painted and balloon animals in hand listened to the talented Ukesters from Guntersville play music as they created decorative community rocks, made care packages and even wrote letters to First Responders.

“It was an honor to celebrate ‘Be My Neighbor Day’ in the beautiful city of Boaz! From the library to the volunteers and the hundreds of new friends we made, the day was truly special. The message of ‘being a caring neighbor’ was felt in every boxed lunch for volunteers and character photos created by the talented students at Albertville High School, the handshakes, the care bags, and the chalk messages shared throughout the event,” added Briana Morton, VP of Educational Services.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled with how everything came together,” said Lynn Burgess, Director of the Boaz Public Library. “We are incredibly grateful to Alabama Public Television (APT) for selecting us as the host for this year’s event. Their team has been wonderful to work with, and we hope this helped create a long-lasting partnership. The turnout exceeded our expectations. It was amazing to see our community, along with visitors from across the state, come together to celebrate Be My Neighbor Day.”

Burgess said one of the most meaningful parts of the event was the opportunity for children to give back to the community.

“Kids helped pack care bags for the Marshall Cancer Center and Neighborhood Bridges and took time to write heartfelt thank-you letters to first responders many of which were hand-delivered to the police officers and firefighters at the event. In total, 282 bags will be donated to the Marshall Cancer Center, and 275 bags to Neighborhood Bridges. Additionally, nearly 70 sweaters and jackets were collected at the entrance for Kelley’s Rainbow Domestic Violence Crisis Services.  We are incredibly proud of all the children who participated and helped make a difference in their community.”

Burgess said they are thankful for all the groups that contributed to making the event a huge success:  APT, BCSS Parents as Teachers, Neighborhood Bridges Boaz, Kids and Kin, Snead State Community College, Jacksonville State University, Mountain Lakes Behavioral Healthcare, Albertville High School Culinary and Photography, Boaz Police and Fire Departments, Starshine Faces, Marshall County Ukesters, Peoples Independent Bank, Tent Tech, Northeast Alabama Community College, and the Boaz Public Library. 

“It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood! It was heartwarming to see so many families attend such a fun event held at the library through the amazing work of APT. You could really feel Mister Rogers’ legacy of what it means to be a good neighbor as the children packed care bags for those in treatment at the Cancer Center and emergency kits for Neighborhood Bridges and brought sweaters for Kelley’s Rainbow. Although meeting Daniel Tiger was very exciting, my favorite part of the day was watching families bonding and having fun together, whether it was singing and dancing during The Ukesters’ performance, sword fighting with balloons, drawing artwork outside, or making a Daniel Tiger watch, it was such a fun day, and many new friends were made along the way,” said Savannah Galliher with Children’s Services, one of the many community groups who participated.

The breakdown of participants included 679 people in attendance, 163 families, 303 children ages 0-8 and 376 children ages 9 and up.

For more information on Alabama Public Television’s Be My Neighbor Day, visit aptv.org/neighbor/.