An online fundraiser for the actor who plays Officer Clemmons on the iconic children’s program “Mister Roger’s Neighborhood” has reached its $100,000 goal — thanks in part to The New York Post.
“WE DID IT! Thanks to the donations this evening … we reached our $100,000 goal,” wrote the Friends of Officer Clemmons group on GoFundMe. “Over the past 10 weeks we have received generous donations from 600 caring individuals like you to reach our $100,000 goal .
“…And we are so grateful for last week’s sensitive and heartfelt NY Post article about our fundraiser. That article nearly doubled donations to our GFM site, and allowed us to raise $20,000 in just eight days,” said the fundraiser.
“But we’re not done yet — we still need to raise $2,900 to cover the 2.9% GFM transaction fee deducted from all donations. And we can always exceed our original goal!” they added.
Singer and actor Francois Clemmons, best known for breaking down racial barriers in his role in “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” has struggled to make ends meet in poor health and limited income.
Clemmons and Rogers recreated the iconic moment they dipped their feet into a kiddie pool on a hot day. Courtesy Everett Collection Clemmons appeared on the legendary children’s show as Officer Clemmons in the 1960s. Courtesy of Fellow Officer Clemmons
Clemmons, 78, suffered two strokes in 2015 and 2016, two knee replacement surgeries and requires health aides along with other services at his Vermont residential facility.
The fundraiser was launched in the fall and included a $5,000 donation from Clemmons’ Oberlin College classmates, Ted and Molly Raphael.
“A New Year’s miracle is in the making,” Chuck Dickinson, another Oberlin classmate who led the campaign, told The Post about the $100,000 milestone.
Francois Clemmons, seen here in 2021, has had two strokes. Getty Images
Clemmons, who played a singing cop on the PBS series from 1968 to 1993, was one of the first African Americans to have a lead role on national children’s television.
The native of Birmingham, Alabama, lived on West 101 Street and Central Park West for 35 years and created the Harlem Spiritual Ensemble. He first met Fred Rogers through Roger’s wife, Joanne, who was in the church choir with him in Pittsburgh.
A May 1969 episode featured a black Clemmons and a white Rogers dipping their toes in a kiddie pool at the same time on a hot day and sharing a towel to dry off — sending a quiet but powerful message about equality at a time when segregated pools were the norm.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
