“What does kindness look like?”

From Saturday through May 29, Latrobe Art Center is inviting people to answer that question by spreading intentional acts of kindness throughout the community.

“We’re hoping for a big chain reaction of kindness,” center Executive Director Michael Tusay said.

The center’s project is being held in conjunction with Pennsylvania’s third annual 1-4-3 Day observance, Friday through Sunday.

Pennsylvania introduced 1-4-3 Day in 2019 to create a statewide kindness movement and to honor Latrobe native and kindness advocate Fred Rogers by encouraging Pennsylvanians to show their neighbors extra friendship and love.

The numbers in the day refer to Rogers’ fondness for the number 143, the individual digits reflecting the number of letters in each word of the phrase, “I love you.” They also refer to the 143rd day of the year.

To help spread the love, the center designed “You’ve Been Fred Roger-ed” cards people can use to “create a ripple effect of kindness and share some much-needed joy and hope with your loved ones and fellow community members,” according to a release.

One side of the card contains information about the event and instructs recipients what to do next.

The opposite sides feature works of art by some of the center’s member artists who submitted pieces in response to the prompt, “What does kindness look like?”

Cards will be available at the center at 819 Ligonier St., on its website and in Latrobe at the Latrobe Medicine Shoppe, Eclectique, Rose Style Shoppe, Chicora’s and Adams Memorial Library. There’s even a card designed specifically for children.

Using that card, the person, business or organization is asked to perform a good deed, capture the moment and share it with the center on social media with the hashtag #YouveBeenFredRogered.

They then will leave the card with the recipient, asking them to follow instructions on it to perform an act of kindness of their own for someone else. The aim is for the card to continue to be passed along throughout the community.

Pennsylvania also encourages residents to share their benevolent acts using the hashtag #143DayinPA.

The idea for Latrobe Art Center’s Week of Kindness might have been one of the reasons Tusay got the job as the center’s executive director in January.

During his interview, he was asked to propose a new event for the center, and that’s where the idea first saw light.

“What we’re doing is not quite what I presented, but we thought we’d give it a go,” Tusay said.

“Being kind to others and loving our neighbors are such simple tasks but can make a world of difference in both the lives of individuals and the community as a whole,” he said.

Details: 724-537-7011 or latrobeart center.org

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