What Does Rome, London, Tokyo and New York Have That Is Coming To Simcoe & Brantford Ontario Canada?
It started with a random act of kindness, and an offer to pay it forward... You may have seen it on the Oprah Winfrey Show, or watched a YouTube broadcast and it’s now coming to Brantford on Friday, July 1st and Saturday, July 2nd and to Simcoe on Saturday, July 2nd, 2011. Humanitarians from around the globe, in Australia, Africa, Asia, New Zealand, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, United States and Canada continue to unite “in this age of social disconnectivity” through the International FREE HUGS Celebration now a worldwide phenomenon.
Local organizers, humanitarians and philanthropists, Debi Dion and Wanda Heimbecker both became fascinated by the idea of launching a FREE HUGS Celebration to reinforce the need to break down barriers, embrace our human diversity and to recognize the true goodwill heroes of our community; charities, service providers, persons with accessibility challenges and seniors. “Perhaps, this is new way to engage our healthy communities as friends, family, co-workers, students, seniors, professionals, community leaders and anyone understanding the intrinsic value of this message are welcome to join us. Our goal is to approach all local charities that work tirelessly to assist people in need in our community. We encourage their staff and volunteers to join us, as we give thanks and raise awareness of their essential community services through this celebration and most importantly the people they serve.”
Community goodwill ambassadors Laurie Cappe, a Simcoe resident, and John Orser of Hamilton have both joined the humanitarian team to help spread the word. All Free Hugs participants will be documented as part of a ‘viral video campaign’ showcasing our healthy communities.
Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN8CKwdosjE to watch the heart-warming celebration held in Sondrio Italy!
Hug or be hugged at the FREE HUGS Celebrations!
The FREE HUGS Team would like to welcome our THREE host and locations:
BRANTFORD: Friday, July 1st, 2011 from 11:00 am – 12 noon 'Canada Day’
Lion’s Park – Tourism Brantford Booth
Held in conjunction with the new pride of place program ‘Love MY Brantford Campaign’ go to www.discoverbrantford.com or MYBrantford.ca for more information!
&
Saturday, July 2nd, 2011 from 11:00 am – 12 noon at Sears (mall entrance) at Lynden Park Mall. Visit www.sears.ca
SIMCOE: Saturday, July 2nd, 2011 from 1:00 - 2:00 pm
Shoppers can "Catch the friendly feeling" at SIMCOE MALL located at 140 Queensway East!
You can confirm your participation online by using our contact sheet or on our Blog.
NEW! Soroptimist of Haldimand Norfolk Joins FREE HUGS!
The Soroptimist of Haldimand Norfolk, dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls locally and around the world, will be offering FREE HUGS to residents of Norview Lodge, a 179 bed long-term care home located in Simcoe Ontario on Thursday June 23rd at 6:30 p.m. as part of the Norview's Family Night!
A special thank you to the Soroptimist of Haldimand Norfolk! (Please note this is a member's only event).
Make a difference in the lives of others, visit http://www.soroptimist.org/index.html
E: [email protected]
TO PARTICIPATE IS EASY!
Step 1 - Make a “FREE HUGS” Sign (write on both sides) and you can also wear the message on your Shirt Charitable/service partners are also encouraged to wear your organization’s shirts & logos to build awareness!
Step 2 – Meet us at the celebration locations.
Step 3 - Hold up your “FREE HUGS” Sign and get some attention! All it takes is to get out there and put a smile on a stranger's face! Please choose a polite approach that makes you feel most comfortable. You can stand there silently, smiling at people as they pass you by, pointing at your Free Hugs sign or shirt and then at them. You could walk up to a random person with your sign and say something like "Hey - Care for a Free Hug today?"
Step 4 - Hug and Be Hugged, its as simple as that. Can you imagine, with just a simple hug, you have become a part of something big, a worldwide phenomenon of caring humanitarians uniting from Sydney to Berlin, from LA to Tokyo, from Paris to Singapore!
Have fun showing your acceptance of every human being and remember - the world is what you make of it!
HOW DID IT START? Juan Mann returned to his original home of Sydney Australia on June 30th, 2004 after living in London. He had a world of troubles, no one to welcome him back, feeling like a tourist as he stood there in the arrivals terminal, watching other passengers meeting their waiting friends and family, with open arms and smiling faces, hugging and laughing together. “I wanted someone out there to be waiting for me, to be happy to see me, to smile at me, to hug me.”
It began as a simple way for this very sad man to find a reason to smile once again. It just so happened that he found a way to put a smile on the faces of everyone who passed him by and those who stopped to share a Free Hug. "So I got some cardboard and a marker and made a sign. I found the busiest pedestrian intersection in the city and held that sign aloft, with the words ‘Free Hugs’ on both sides. For 15 minutes, people just stared right through me. The first person that stopped, tapped me on the shoulder and told me how her dog had just died that morning. How that morning had been the one-year anniversary of her only daughter dying in a car accident. How what she needed now, when she felt most alone in the world, was a hug. I got down on one knee, we put our arms around each other and when we parted, she was smiling.”
With a simple act of humanity, controversy followed in 2005 when Free Hugs was banned as one man with a sign had quickly grown to a dozen other people regularly meeting up in the city to share Free Hugs with strangers. After collecting 10,000 signatures and presenting them to the Council, Juan Mann and his friends were once again allowed to share their Free Hugs with the city of Sydney. In September 2006, a video was uploaded to YouTube sharing this simple story. http://www.freehugscampaign.org/
As this symbol of human hope spread across the city, what we now witness is the true spirit of humanity coming together across the globe can only be described as awe inspiring.
"Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty." Mother Teresa
Humanitarian (definition) - Having the interests of mankind at heart, the acceptance of every human being for plainly just being another human. Humanitarianism has been an evolving concept historically but universality is a common element in its evolution. No distinction is to be made in the face of human suffering or abuse on grounds of gender, sexual orientation, tribal, caste, religious or national divisions. Humanitarianism can also be described as someone devoted to the promotion of human welfare and to social reforms, an ethic of kindness, benevolence and sympathy extended universally and impartially to all human beings. Ignoring and abolishing biased social views, prejudice, and racism in the process, if utilized individually as a practiced viewpoint, and or mindset. Committed to "the love of humanity", in the sense of "what it is to be human", the essence of our humanity. In modern practical terms, it is private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of life.
Hug (definition)- A hug is a gesture, a demonstration of affection and emotional warmth, never intended to offend, sometimes arising out of joy or happiness. One person may hug another as an indication of support, comfort, and consolation. Depending on culture, context, and relationship, a hug can indicate familiarity, friendship, affection or love. Hugging has been proven to have health benefits. One study has shown hugs increase oxytocin, and reduce blood pressure.
Viral Video (definition) - A video that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through internet media sharing websites, family and friends.
Disclaimer: Please note all FREE HUGS celebrations listed on this website are spontaneous “FLASH MOB” public events. Participating grants permission and the use of all images which might be included in our video.
We hope you will consider joining our celebration!