Proud to Be From Pittsburgh

Proud to be from Pittsburgh: Live Like Fred

Mister Rogers is arguably the most beloved figure from Pittsburgh.

With the release of a movie highlighting his impact nationwide, a lot of people are remembering his important lessons. One local teen is working to make the impact of Fred Rogers live on in Pittsburgh.

Colton DeBiase is just starting college at Point Park University. While he is concentrating on his studies, he's also focused on a bigger goal.

"My mom and I were just sitting around talking about how we need Mister Rogers' philosophies of kindness and love now more than ever," DeBiase said. "We said everybody should live like Fred."

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That's where his positivity campaign, "Live Like Fred," got its name.

"Before I started this campaign, I just thought there wasn't much positivity in this world," DeBiase said. "That completely changed."

Colton's campaign features a spotlight on inspiring neighbors, like Tony Mitchell in Homewood. Channel 11 tagged along as Colton shared Tony's story of mentoring young men at AFT Championship Mindset. Colton says those interviews keep his campaign going.

"The thing that inspires me the most is our inspiring neighbors," said Colton. "The work that they do is so amazing and so inspiring to me, it just keeps motivating me."

He also works with a blogger to set up acts of random kindness, like leaving notes with flowers for people to find. He wants to inspire the next generation, just like Mister Rogers.

To find out more about Colton's Live Like Fred initiative and how he's making us proud to be from Pittsburgh, head to his website.