The Fred Rogers Company Plays Special Role in September 11 Memorial

As the country marks the 10th anniversary of September 11, the Friends of Flight 93 and the National Park Service have been working with Hedda Sharapan, our Director of Early Childhood Initiatives, to help develop print and online resources for children, families and educators who visit the National Memorial in Shanksville, PA which is not far from our offices here in Pittsburgh.

Parents and early childhood professionals continue to turn to Fred Rogers’ timeless messages about how to talk with children about tragic events in the news. Fred reminded us to “Look for the helpers, you will always find people who are helping, even in the most difficult times.”

Families and educators can feel free to forward or reprint our articles and videos on this topic. From our website or our Professional Development Newsletter or on PBS Parents.

Hedda has been working with two of our long-time consultants, Steve Woods (retired Family Services Coordinator of Highmark’s Caring Place which is a support center for grieving families) and Roberta Schomburg, Ph.D. (Associate Dean of the School of Education at Carlow University). Hedda, Steve and Roberta will also be participants of the Oct. 6 Symposium for Flight 93 and other tragic news events, for parents and teachers of kindergarteners through fourth graders. 

We are grateful that our name continues to be connected with the national effort to honor the ordinary people who became extraordinary heroes of Flight 93.