Media Background, Content and Quotes for National Hug Your Kids Day
2009
(Monday, July 20)
For more info, videos and pictures, go to www.hugyourkidstoday.com –
or call me! I am happy to answer questions, be interviewed – live or recorded
– or assist you in any other way to get the word out about this simple
yet powerful holiday.
Thank you!
Michelle Nichols, Founder National Hug Your Kids Day www.HugYourKidsToday.com
(775) 303-8201 direct or (877) 352-9684 toll-free
Purpose
National Hug Your Kids Day was founded by Reno mom Michelle Nichols in
2008 to remind all parents to hug their kids – and spouse/partner too.
She started the holiday in memory of her son Mark who died suddenly 11
years ago, in 1998, when he was 8 ½ years old. The doctors thought he
just had the flu – and he died 11 days later of brain cancer.
Date
Monday, July 20, 2009. The holiday is always held on the third Monday
in July.
Background
In 2003, on the 5 year anniversary of Mark’s death, the Nichols
family had 2 billboards put up in Houston for the day that said, “Hug
Your Kids Today. We Wish We Could. In Memory of Mark Nichols 1989-1998.
The billboards were seen by over 500,0000 people that day and ABC-TV did
a touching story about the billboards and the Nichols family.
In 2008, ten years after his passing, Michelle Nichols, left her position writing for BusinessWeek to start National Hug Your Kids Day, write a book, and start the Hug Your Kids Today movement.
For the 2008 holiday, there were: 135 digital billboards in 17 major
cities that said “Hug Your Kids Today” donated by Clear Channel Outdoor,
20+ TV, Radio, and print interviews, 8 Gannett “Citymoms.com” contests,
from Reno to Florida to New Jersey, 3 Major League Baseball Jumbotrons
announced the holiday,3 public events – 2 in Reno, NV and 1 in Red Bluff,
CA and 1 book launch – Hug Your Kids Today! 5 Key Lessons for Every
Working Parent.
Sound Bites from Michelle Nichols
"Hugging your kids is a privilege."
"Hugs are fast, free – and non-fattening."
"Work-life balance is the wrong goal. It's crazy to try to balance
your livelihood and your life. Instead, prioritize "family first
and work a close second."
"If you need statistics to tell you the benefits of a hug, you really
need a hug."
"To paraphrase the old Chevrolet jingle, "Baseball, hot dogs,
apple pie - and hug your kids." "
"Our goal is to change families around the world - one million hugs
at a time."
5 Steps of a Good Hug: (based upon the book, “Hug Your
Kids Today! 5 Key Lessons for Every Working Parent,” by Michelle Nichols
– published 2008)
1. Clear your head. Stop thinking about your bills, calendar and worries.
2. Clear your hands. Put down your keys, cell phone, and all the other
stuff you carry around.
3. Connect with your eyes. Get your loved one to eye level. My 12-year
old son is about 5 feet tall, so I have to put him on a stair. My 17-year
old daughter is 6 feet tall, so I have to get on a stair. Do what it takes
to look them in the eyes.
4. Connect with your heart. Tell him or her what’s in your heart. Something
like, “I love you. You rock my world. No matter what happens to you today,
remember that I love you!”
5. Squeeze. Give them a hug that will last them all day. When you part,
I want both of you to say, “Now THAT was a hug.”
Interesting facts:
1. 50% of the project's raving fans are dads. This is not a woman’s issue.
Men love their kids as deeply as women.
2. This message strongly connects to families of all ethnicities, races,
religions, abilities, and lifestyles. It is a uniting message, not a dividing
one.
Personal Impact Stories. Women love my work but it’s often men who have personal impact stories.
1. A dad told me I’d changed his relationship with his kids. “I’d stopped
hugging them because they’re 13 and 17, but I heard you speak, and I started
hugging them again. Thank you.”
2. A single-dad of a 14-year old boy told me he regretted working so many
hours as his son was growing up, but now he was focusing on maximizing
the next four years with his son.
3. A dad of a 12-year old daughter heard about my holiday in mid-2008
and decided to be purposeful about hugging his daughter every day. When
we met almost a year later, he treated me like a celebrity. “I can’t believe
I’m meeting the founder of National Hug Your Kids Day. My daughter is
never going to believe this!”
4. A mom of several children said I’d changed her marriage, because it
got her and her husband talking about what really mattered to them – their
family.
Holiday Plans – Reno
On July 20, Hug Your Kids Night at the Reno Aces - in front of
the new Reno Aces Ballpark
5:45 PM- 6:30 PM - FREE EVENT
Free Model Dairy ice cream, lots of family fun, Hug High cheerleaders,
youth singers, a family dance – and more. Concludes with “Biggest Little
Hug” photo
7:05 PM – Hug Your Kids Night ballgame
Model Dairy has donated 600 tickets (300 pairs) for the Aces game. Vouchers
for the tickets will be pre-distributed to targeted families the week
before the game. Drew Simpson will throw out the first pitch. Everyone
is welcome to buy tickets to the game and join the in-game Hug fun.
On July 20, we hope/ plan to have:
100+ digital billboards across the US
Many TV, Radio, and print interviews
Many Gannett MomsLikeMe.com contests, from Reno to Florida to New Jersey
Many Major League Baseball Jumbotrons announce the holiday
Future change envisioned: This work changes lives – for kids, parents and families. It also changes companies, as they bring me in to speak to their working parents, and managers of working parents, to help them talk about how to be great at work AND have great families.