Everyone knows who Mr. Rogers is, that TV personality with the red sweater on PBS. Now the Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood Sweater Drive is helping families share “new, or clean & gently-worn” sweaters with others. All sizes welcome, to be donated to the clothing banks at local Tucson schools.

“The Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Sweater Drive promotes Fred Rogers’ giving spirit by helping children and their families share clothing with those who need it.”

Drop these sweaters off at any of the nine Shaffer Dry Cleaning & Laundry outlets listed online and in the phone book, starting tomorrow November 1st through 7th.

Or you can bring them to the Arizona Public Media tent at U of A Homecoming on the U of A mall on Saturday November 7, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Any sweater donation will also earn you a FREE Kids’ 3 oz vanilla ice cream cone coupon from McDonalds!

This is just in time for winter, so do consider cleaning out your sweater drawer. A few years ago I gave away most of my grown son’s childhood jackets on such a clothing drive.

Mister Rogers in his red sweater

There are kids out there who need these sweaters. Thank you Tucson community.

For more info, see www.azpm.org.

I dropped by the final of eight City of Tucson Community Key Services Dialogues last night at the Ward 2 Council office, 7575 E. Speedway Blvd. My previous blogs outlined the process of these meetings and the discussions in the various break-out groups. See “Let the Dialogues Begin” and Let the Dialogues Continue.

City Manager Mike Letcher and Katie Bolger, aide to Councilmember Glassman made the welcoming remarks.

Neighborhood leaders present (whom I recognized) for this final dialogue were: Margo Gray, Dina Scalone-Romero (Pro Neighborhoods) and Paul Mackey, but there were also less people than were in attendance at the Wards 3 and 6 dialogues.

The results of all eight meetings will be posted online at www.tucsonaz.gov/dialogues. Already on this website are links –results from the dialogues– long, long lists of what residents/participants in the previous ward meetings thought needed to be improved, and what could be cut from the City’s budget.

Also online is the power point presentation made at these meetings for those of you who were unable to attend.

The website also states:”This is not a one-time effort. We will be inviting you to participate in additional dialogues in the future: City Budget & Work Plan (1 – 3 year view), Economic Recovery Plan (3-10 year view), and the General Plan Update (Vision for the future).”

Let’s wait and see what the new City Manager and his staff recommend from the results from these dialogues. At the very least, there appears to be more community input into the budget process than before. When I asked Mr. Letcher about budget priorities from these 8 dialogues, he responded that they would look for “common threads and themes” and then make suggestions to the Mayor and Council for early 2010.

Not an extra-martial one, but the Southwest Flair A-Fair, at Plaza Palomino (SE Corner of Ft. Lowell and Swan in Tucson) on October 30 to November 1. The A-Fair benefits Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Tucson, and will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Street address is 2900-2990 N. Swan. Just in time for holiday shopping, plus complimentary gift wrapping for all purchases!

“170 artists will be displaying and selling their hand made creations. 15% of all sales go directly to the Big Brothers Big Sisters agency here in Tucson.”

“Big Brothers Big Sisters has been the nation’s preeminent youth-service organization for nearly a century. Locally, we have provided high quality mentoring services since 1963! We have a proven success in creating lifelong impact through mentoring relationships between adults and children.”

Woodturner Lynne Yamaguchi’s work, featured in Artistic Tucson’s blog earlier this week, will be there for sale at the newly opened Flux Gallery.

2009 postcard, Southwest Flair A-Fair