Since 2008, I’ve been offering free hugs and witnessing their profound impact on both myself and others. This led me to establish a global hug weekend with the goal of spreading a million hugs worldwide. Why? Just imagine a world where people feel seen, heard, and connected. Offering a hug is a simple yet powerful way to create a positive change in someone’s life, including your own.
Below, you’ll find inspiring stories of our 2023 journey towards one million hugs. Whether it’s a single meaningful embrace or a gathering of 60 hugs at an event, absorb these stories and feel embraced as you read them.
Sending you big ((HUGS)) and lots of LOVE,
CC
August 4, 2024: Yes, we have a long way to reach 1 million hugs, but Wendy and Marty might make it happen all on their own, adding 900 hugs during Vancouver’s Gay Pride Parade! 🌈🤗
HUG-0-METER: 76,262
Be like Wendy and Marty—spread kindness wherever you go. Join the global hug team! 🌍❤️
August 3, 2024: Children’s Place Association members gathered to bond and have fun, sharing 74 welcoming hugs among the 10 attendees. HUG-O-METER: 75,362
brings smiles 
and raised arms 
. The initial intimidation melts away, replaced by the beauty of human connection. People are truly beautiful. Hug them.
.July 2024: A weekend with family is filled with hugs – 37 bringing the Hug-O-Meter to 72,588.
June 2024: 🌟 Thank you, Giuliana, for counting your June hugs and adding to our Million Hug March! Your 86 hugs bring our Hug-O-Meter to 72,551. 🌟
Yes, one million hugs is a lofty goal, but we continue spreading LOVE, one hug at a time. 🤗❤️
July 6, 2024: Offering hugs is my favorite way of LOVING up this beautiful and messy world.
On a gorgeous summer day in Chicago, Tony, Frank, and I gave out and received 55 hugs, bringing our totals to 76,465 and putting us on our way to 1 million hugs worldwide. Along with the hugs, there were lots of smiles and thank yous for us spreading kindness. A hug is a quick way to connect with another and let them know you see them and they matter. Let’s love up this beautiful and messy world together—one hug at a time. June 2024 – Gathering with friends I’ve known for over 20 years, including three I rarely see, made for a fun day! There were six of us. 🤗 We added 56 hugs to the Hug-O-Meter, totaling 72,358! 🎉❤️
Together, we’re embracing the world with LOVE, and you’re invited to join the movement. Just ask me how! ❤️🌍
Hug It Forward: 1 Million Hugs Initiative. Hug It Forward: 1 Million Hugs Initiative. 
May 25 & 26: If you want to grow your 1 Million Hug Mission, involve your 7- and 9-year-old grand-nieces! 🌟 They already shared and received 200 hugs from family, friends, and many more to come. I LOVE them both so much!🤗💖
HUG-O-METER: 72,165
May 25, 2024: Thanks to Giuliana, 22 more hugs have been added in Calgary, Canada., bringing our HUG-O-METER to 71,965.
May 12, 2024: Thanks to Giuliana, the Million-Hug-O-Meter added 10 more hugs on Mother’s Day, bringing our total hugs to 71,943. We’re LOVING up this world one hug at a time. Join us.
May 10, 2024: Added 52 hugs during the Champions Gala for Children’s Place Association.
Million-Hug-O-Meter: 71,908
May 9, 2024: Added 22 more hugs to the million hug movement during a meeting preparing for tomorrow night’s big event.
Million-Hug-O-Meter: 71,856.
Paul, our dedicated hugger since 2011, infused our million hug count with an additional 32 hugs as he shared his kindness with family, friends, and neighbors alike. Each hug added joy to our ever-growing tally, bringing us closer to our goal one heartfelt hug at a time. Million-Hug-O-Meter: 71,866 and counting!
During Global Hugs Weekend, BJ hugged in Waikiki and added 15 hugs to our million-hug count.
From BJ: I was happy & proud to represent Hawaii, sharing hugs, & what we call the ‘Aloha Spirit’ with many people: a Honolulu Police Officer, a man visiting from Calgary, Canada, a few women visiting from Southern California, a man visiting from San Francisco, a young woman from New York, and many more; some even asked for more than one hug. A Bonus: I was treated to a slice of yummy Hula Pie @ Dukes by a young man who was moved by the gesture of sharing an open heart & kindness; when we give healing, we get healing, and all in all, a good day. Hug yourself for me..🤗
MILLION-HUG-O-METER: 71,802
Charles, a frequent hug sharer on Fremont Street in Vegas, joined us for Global Hug Weekend and added 1,500 hugs with his team! 
Sunny, a dedicated hugger since 2010, added 11 more hugs this weekend in Glendale, AZ! Our Million-Hug-O-Meter now dances at 70,287!
Brent contributed 10 hugs to our million hug count during Global Hugs weekend in San Mateo Río Hondo, Mexico! The Million-Hug-O-Meter now stands at 70,276!
Thank you, Giuliana, for sharing 44 hugs at her private event in Calgary, Canada, during Global Hugs Weekend.
Her friend Simone added another 26, bringing our MILLION-HUG-O-METER to 70,266!
May 5, 2024 – One more hug added during lunch with a friend.
HUG-0-METER: 70,196
During Global Hugs Weekend, Loretta-Maria poured her heart into hugging in New Orleans, receiving 92 hugs! 
Loretta’s been a cherished member of the Global Hug team since 2009 and a dear friend of mine. 
Yesterday’s hugs were bittersweet as Loretta remembered her friend Melodie, who hugged alongside her last year but has since passed away. 
I’m certain Melodie’s spirit was right there embracing her. 
HUG-O-METER: 70,195
in Chicago! We gave and received 30 embraces. We also received lots of smiles and gratitude! Our Million-Hug-O-Meter 
now stands at 70,103 hugs and counting! 
. Among visitors and students basking in the sunshine, a musician serenaded with Spanish tunes 
.
. Thank you, Cindy, for making our world brighter!2024 (Mar):
Our Hug-O-Meter just hit 70,013 hugs! 
Thanks to Charles for adding 400 hugs at the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Rochester, New York! 
Join us in spreading LOVE worldwide, one hug at a time. Share your hug stories! 
2024 (March) – from Marty: Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Over 400 free hugs were given outside the T-Mobile Arena to happy Golden Knights fans wearing green jerseys after the big win. Followed that up in the evening with over 1,200 free hugs given on at Fremont Street to the happiest people in all variations of green. You know you’re huggable when someone makes the effort to climb out of a wheelchair to hug you (shown in this photo). The best quote of the night was when a man that said in all seriousness “you remind me of my baby girl.”
Hug-O-Meter: 69,376
Thank you, Paula, for moving the Million Hug Meter by adding 150 hugs at an expo in LA. She literally rocked it, as there was an earthquake during the event.
Hug-O-Meter: 67,776
2024 – Feb. 10: Tony and I braved the cold for our monthly hug adventure. Despite the chilly weather, we spread kindness and hugs for 45 minutes and collected 10 hugs for our million hug movement! Join us in wrapping the world in LOVE—one hug at a time. Ready to join the cuddle crew? Let’s make magic happen together!
Hug-O-Meter to 67,626. We have a long way to go, and we will hug on.
Thank you, Paula, Sunny Dawn, Kris, and friends, for adding 777 hugs to our Million Hug Movement, bringing the Hug-O-Meter to 67,616 hugs.
Let’s continue to spread love, kindness, and connection across the globe, embracing the power of each individual hug. Scan the QR code to discover how you can join the movement and become a part of our global hugger community. Let’s make the world a kinder, LOVING, and connected one embrace at a time.
December 2: While volunteering at Children’s Place Association’s ‘Adopt A Family’ event, I couldn’t help but share the love with 14 hugs! 🤗💕 Whether one or a hundred, each hug matters.
DECEMBER 1: Charles, Marty and the team added 2,000 hugs to our movement in just two hours on the first Friday night in Vegas.
When I embarked on the journey of the million hug count, I knew I couldn’t go at it alone—and I didn’t want to! 🤝 It’s a worldwide movement, and I’m immensely grateful for incredible individuals like Marty, Charles, and the team. They’re tirelessly spreading kindness through hugs, both in Vegas and on their travels.
With their dedication and the support of others, I can see us hitting the magical 1 million mark of hugs! 🎉 Why a million? Because I’ve personally witnessed and felt the profound impact of a simple hug. I’ve seen the smiles, heard the laughter, and felt the tears of joy. 🤗 imagine the ripple effect if a million people share that heartwarming feeling and pass it on to their friends and family!
One day, my dream is to meet these global huggers, share a hug, and personally thank them for being part of this worldwide movement of LOVE and kindness. 💖
DECEMBER 1: Paula added 22 more hugs at a private event. Her favorite hug came at the end of the night when she hugged the valet, and the valet teared up.
NOVEMBER 24: A dream 🌈 came true! On November 24, I offered FREE HUGS in ANTARCTICA! 🐧 Ever since I launched Global Hugs in 2008, my goal was to find a hugger in Antarctica to join our kindness event. 🫂 Despite the challenges (May being their winter and only a handful of people around), I persisted. And guess what? I got the chance to go myself and share hugs! The trip lasted three weeks, so some hugs happened on the ship.
I’m still floating on cloud nine ☁️ from the trip, especially the incredible experience of sharing hugs in the frozen beauty of Antarctica. This adventure marked a momentous milestone, bringing hugs to ALL seven continents and contributing to our ever-growing million-hug count! 🌎
But the journey doesn’t end here. I’m committed to continuing my mission, offering hugs locally and wherever my travels take me. 🫂 Let’s remind people they matter in this beautiful and messy world!
OCTOBER 28: Tony and yours truly spreading LOVE and kindness today. 💑❤️ We gave out 16 hugs! 🤗🤗 Many more smiles were exchanged along the way. 😊😊
My mission isn’t just about giving hugs; it’s about sharing LOVE. 🌟 As I greet people and wish them a wonderful day, I’m also sending them LOVE from the heart. 💞 Locking eyes for a fleeting moment and sharing a smile can be incredibly impactful. 😄💖
Sending an abundance of LOVE and warm hugs to all who need it. 🤗💕
📈 🫂Our Hug-O-Meter is🫂 📈 on the rise, now counting 63,875 hugs, all thanks to Paula’s generous 169 hugs given on a lovely Saturday at Ojai Days!🫂 🌟
Paula was sharing LOVE and peace with the Center of Spiritual Living – Ojai.
Thank you Cindy for continuing to spread LOVE and kindness with our Million Hugs Movement. Cindy shared 40 hugs in Kelowna, BC during Canada’s Thanksgiving day. From Cindy – The sun was shining and a beautiful soul was singing classic songs. It was one of my favourite moments so far in my hugging journey 😀.
From me – I am so grateful to have Cindy as part of the Global Hug Team. One of my favorite hug memories was hugging with her in Niagara Falls in 2019.
HUG-O-METER: 63,031
Sept. 22 – 24: 🎉 Marty just added 300 more hugs into our 1 Million Hugs movement at the Life Is Beautiful music festival in Las Vegas! 🤗🎶
From Marty: 🦸♂️ This fantastic guy won this cape costume at a Meow Wolf bingo game, right in the heart of the Life Is Beautiful festival in downtown Las Vegas. Then, he grooved over to a stage and received a warm hug from an astronaut. Life… is… absolutely beautiful! 🚀💃
Our hug-o-meter now stands at a whopping 62,991! 🤩 Let’s keep spreading the love! ❤️ #LifeIsBeautiful #HugsMovement
Sept. 9: I’m not quite sure if it was the beautiful weather 🌞, the joyful bubbles 🎈, or simply Tony and me being irresistibly huggable 🫂, but the atmosphere was festive as we exchanged 41 hugs 🫂🫂, bringing our hug-o-meter to 62,691 embraces 📈🫂! We also shared air hugs, thank yous, and smiles 😄.
A man was blowing bubbles in the park, bringing the crowd more smiles and happiness. I’m sure bubbles heighten celebrations and lessen sorrows – pure magic 🪄❤️.
🫂🌏Hugs will travel. Marty and the team added 50 more hugs to our Million Hugs Movement as he traveled to the Sunshine Coast! First, the giant balloon 🎈 went on its first-ever ferry ride with hugs from the ticket booth guy, some passengers, and the security guy. Next was joining forces with @westcoasthugs to construct an incredible hug zone so powerful people fell out of the sky for hugs!
Our Hug-O-Meter stands at 62,500 embraces. 🙌🤟
Marty & Wendy just added 20 more hugs 🤗🤗 for our #MillionHugsMovement at the Vancouver Bike Rave! 🚴♀️🎉
I can’t believe I’ve never been to Vancouver, but now it’s definitely on my #CreatingMemories list!
🌆 Follow Marty’s heartwarming journey full of hugs and smiles at Hugs Are Nice page on Facebook and Instagram. 🤗💕
Our Hug-O-Meter stands at 62,600 embraces.
August 6, 2023 – Marty Beckers and friends continue to spread LOVE and kindness with hundreds of hugs in our #MillionHugsMovement! 🌈🎉
Marty and his team embraced 970 kind souls during Vancouver’s Pride Parade, sharing LOVE and acceptance. ️🌈✨
Our hug-o-meter stands at an incredible 62,580 embraces. 🎈
July 2023: Big shoutout to Paula for spreading LOVE and kindness! 
Her incredible contribution of 125 hugs at a peace fundraising event for The Center of Spiritual Living in Ojai, CA, has pushed us closer to our 1 Million Hug movement! 
Let’s continue to make people feel seen, heard, and cherished in this beautiful and messy world. 
Marty added 5,250 hugs to our #MillionHugMission in Vancouver during the Honda Celebration of Light event! This incredible contribution brings our total to a whopping 61,485 hugs worldwide! 
Let’s keep spreading love and warmth one hug at a time! 
#hugs #freehugs #SpreadLove #globalhugs Hugs are nice
🌍🤗🎉Loretta joined the #GlobalHugTeam in 2009! 🤗💕 From Key West to New Orleans, Croatia (with me 😄), and El Salvador, she’s been spreading LOVE through hugs! And now, in beautiful Edinburgh, Scotland, Loretta has added a whopping 126 hugs to our count! 🏴🤗💖 #HugLife #SpreadLove #HugAroundTheWorld
From Loretta – I hugged people from all over the world, old people, children, and of course even pups! I met a nice young photographer from India who help me capture a couple snapshots. I also met and hugged a lovely woman from Ukraine and we’ve already become friends! Until you have stood there, vulnerable, and hugged strangers, it is hard to describe how powerful an experience it is. Once you start, it’s hard to stop, but after about an hour the energy exchange is so great that it’s time to take a break. A magical hugging experience to be sure.
🎉 Paula just 📈 added another 40 hugs 🤗 to our #MillionHugsMovement during a BBW (big beautiful women) Las Vegas empowerment event! 💪💕 Together, we’re spreading love and positivity! Join us! #HugsForAll #EmpowermentEvent #LoveLasVegas 💖🌟
Paula and Charles just added 
more hugs toward our #MillionHugsMission! On Friday, they rocked Freemont Street in Las Vegas with hugs and big hearts. 
Marty, Gabriel, and their incredible squad 🤗💕 gave and received a whopping 2,500 hugs at the Khatsahlano Street Party! They rocked it with their unlimited LOVE and kindness, taking our 1 million hug mission to new heights! 🙌🌟 Join the hugvolution and let’s spread the love! #HugSquadGoals #KhatsahlanoStreetParty #UnlimitedHugs #LoveAndKindness #MissionAccomplished
CLICK HERE to see more hug of their hug pictures.
June 16, 2023 : Father’s Day Hugs
Thanks to Cindy, 25 people received hugs at the June 16th car show in Kelowna, BC.
Our huggers have now shared a total of 53,469 hugs! Let’s keep the love flowing!
CLICK HERE and you too can become a Global Hug Ambassador.
June 10, 2023 – Pride Hugs
🌈🤗 Cindy continues to spread LOVE and kindness in this beautiful and messy world on hug at a time. 😍🌍
📈🤗 Cindy’s incredible efforts have added 40 more warm hugs to our grand mission of reaching 1 million hugs worldwide as she offered Pride hugs in Kelowna, BC!
Our huggers have now shared a total of 53,434 hugs! Let’s keep the love flowing! 💪❤️
CLICK HERE and you too can become a Global Hug Ambassador.
June 3, 2023
Thanks to Cindy, 81 more hugs have been added to our one million hug mission. It brings our total to 53,404.
Her experience: Kelowna was hesitant to hug at first, but many people walked/rode by a few times and they began to open up. One server from a nearby restaurant was watching and ran down on her break for 2 hugs. I hugged adults, kids, and dogs today, and we could feel the vibration raise. Many people thanked me, and some said they would be back next month for another hug. I really missed hugging and I could tell I wasn’t the only one.
May 18 – You Can Do it Conference
Paula gave and received 60 hugs at the You Can Do it Converence in Tampa, FL.
May 2023 – Global Hugs Weekend
🌍🤗 Tennessee Graduation – Thank YOU, Paula, for joining us during #GlobalHugsWeekend and adding 60 more hugs to the 1 million hug count! 🎉👏 And congrats to the graduates!! 🎓🎉 #SpreadLove #GlobalHugs #LoveInAction
June 2023 – Global Hugs Weekend
🤗
Thank you, Mészáros László Rodrigó, for spreading free hugs in Miskolc, Hungary! Over the weekend, you and your amazing huggers received 500 hugs. Keep spreading the love! 💙✨ #GlobalHugs2023 #GlobalHugs #FreeHugs #LoveInAction
June 2023 – Global Hugs Weekend
Gail added 11 more hugs, hugging the residents at a North Carolina senior center.
June 2023 – Global Hugs Weekend
Giuliana gave and received 60 hugs in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
