Valpomag

Softball Team’s ‘I Need a Hug’ Program Goes National

From left: Valpo students Carrie Franson, Courtney LaFerle, Andrea Zappia, and Ashley Wolter are among the softball players participating in the "I Need a Hug" program.

A troubled elementary student, silent the entire school year, finally opens up and reveals a terrible secret.

A misbehaving child, a constant disruption to his teachers and fellow students, gains control of himself.

These are two examples of the impact the Valparaiso University softball team’s “I Need a Hug” program has had on students in Northwest Indiana.

The program, which began in 2003 under the guidance of Valpo softball coach Randy Schneider, provides stuffed animals to nearly 80 elementary schools in Porter County and the city of Gary, Ind. The goal is to provide a tool for guidance counselors to help comfort young students who are going through a difficult time in life—be it at home, in their social lives, or for any number of reasons.

By law, counselors are prevented from having physical contact with children, and the stuffed animals enable counselors to bond with students without touching them, Schneider says.

All 21 Valpo softball players help run the program. Through donations from local churches and businesses and through a partnership with the United Way of Porter County, the softball team donated more than 3,000 stuffed animals to local schools last year.

The team is looking to expand the program to all of the elementary schools in neighboring Lake County, Ind. The program also is going national.

“This is part of Valpo’s mission statement,” Schneider says. “It’s student-athletes getting out in the community and helping this program grow.”

For more information, or to get involved, call Schneider at 219.464.5047 or send an e-mail to randy.schneider@valpo.edu.

Valpomag

Softball Team’s ‘I Need a Hug’ Program Goes National

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