As students shuffled between classes Tuesday, South Lawn, Newcomb patio and Engineer’s Way were transformed from mere sidewalks to a refuge of friendly faces and love as University parents welcomed students with warm embraces and free food.
Aptly named Hoo Needs a Hug, this once-a-semester pop-up event from University parents aims to help provide emotional support during stressful times for students. Scheduled in the middle of midterm season, this semester’s visit to Grounds featured donuts, cookies, snacks, emotional support dogs, photo opportunities with parents and — as the name of the organization suggests — lots of parents offering a warm embrace, high five or a smile to students passing by.
Hoo Needs a Hug was born in the aftermath of the November 2022 shooting on Grounds, which resulted in the deaths of Lavel Davis Jr., D'Sean Perry and Devin Chandler. Amy Newcome Scherer, Hoo Needs a Hug photographer and a founding member of the event, credited former University parent Brenda Miller with the initial idea.
“In the spring of 2023 … Brenda Miller, after the tragic shootings in November … thought, ‘Let's come to Grounds at kind of a stressful time, around right before exams, and just bring a little love and encouragement to the kids,’” Scherer said. “It just kind of was a heavy place [at the time].”
Since then, the organization has made it a biannual tradition to visit Grounds with the same goal in mind. With the financial support of U.Va. Alumni Student Engagement and the Parent Fund, Hoo Needs a Hug is able to provide study snacks to as many students who want some.
Third-year Education student Hazel Nguyen has made it a priority to visit the parents at Hoo Needs a Hug each time they visit. This semester, in addition to hugs and donuts from a couple of parents, Nguyen got to spend some time with an emotional support dog named Java, who was stationed at Newcomb Courtyard.
“It’s one of my favorite traditions here. Especially as a third-year, I feel like we've gotten more acclimated to the school … and this is definitely a staple,” Nguyen said.
Tuesday’s festivities were not only popular with students, but also a sought-after event for parent volunteers. According to Miller, approximately 75 volunteer slots filled up within six minutes of being open to parents to sign up. For Erin Dwyer, Hoo Needs a Hug volunteer and University parent, the event is more than just a time to support students — it also helps parents navigate parent-child relationships as their children grow up and move away.
“It’s a really fine line between wanting to help and support your children … and kind of letting them fall on their face too when they need to,” Dwyer said. “Because that’s how you learn, you learn by making mistakes.”
Dwyer also said that for her, Hoo Needs a Hug can be a way to maintain the parent-child relationship even when distance and young adulthood can change it.
“You go from this 24/7 [role] as a parent to your kids just completely gone. I don’t want to be oppressive in my children’s lives, but I do like being a part of it,” Dwyer said.
Beyond the huggers, parents who could not join for Hoo Needs a Hug but wished to help out donated snacks via Amazon — specifically allergen-safe snacks that are harder to find in bulk. Scherer expressed gratitude for the dozens of Amazon packages sent to her to support the students.
Companies serving Charlottesville and University students also lent support to Hoo Needs a Hug. Elevate Meal Plan sponsored bracelets handed out to students across all three locations that said “I Got My Hug.” Thumbprints Bake Shop and national donut chains Duck Donuts and Krispy Kreme all worked with Hoo Needs a Hug to offer discounted sales and donated donuts.
Like the many external resources that helped make Tuesday’s event possible, much of the internal structure relied on a variety of parents bringing different skill sets to make sure everything was prepared. Planning for this semester’s Hoo Needs a Hug began two months in advance, with a central committee of parents leading the charge.
“Everybody kind of brings their own gift to the table, so everything gets done,” Scherer said. “We've got one person that does T-shirts, and one person that does the signups, and one person that reaches out to the vendors and one person that works with U.Va. Alumni Student Engagement and the Parent Fund.”
Nguyen found the event to be a reminder of belonging among the University community.
“It’s always so nice to have that reassurance [of a] ‘mom from home,’ that reminder that you have a home here. It's really special,” Nguyen said.
According to third-year Batten student Liz Hernandez Ramirez, much of the appeal of the event to students comes from the added assurance the parents can bring to students during times of high tension.
“Midterms is when I start really missing my mom, and so even though I can't hug her right now, there are moms here that are ready here with open arms, literally,” Hernandez Ramirez said.
First-year College student Jack Kelso originally bypassed the gathering, but returned later in the day. He said being an out-of-state student can sometimes feel isolating, and the event helped remind him of his place on Grounds.
“On a day where I felt more alone, [the event] reminded me … there is a community here [and] there are people here that are wanting to spread kindness,” Kelso said.
Scherer, who photographed the event and bounced around each stationed area, said moments of connection between parents and students seeking support and companionship stand out most to her throughout her time with Hoo Needs a Hug.
“I've heard from [parents] that come afterwards and say, ‘Hey, this student [is] … from Palestine, and she can't get hold of her family, after tragic events there’ … [One student came] after her dad died, [and got] a dad hug. [It] was just tremendous because we don't always get a lot of dads. That made me cry,” Scherer said. “I know people have talked to people about things that are going on at home … just needing to get some stuff off their chest.”
Not every student who stopped by the Hoo Needs a Hug locations wanted hugs or heavy conversation. But Scherer emphasized that every interaction — regardless of length or depth — is well worth the time and effort.
“It's so worth it to us,” Scherer said. “You can have people who don't want to hug or anything, and it's just encouraging words and have a snack if you want … and we've had cases of kids really breaking down, needing someone to talk to … an ear sometimes is just all they need.”
At the heart of Hoo Needs a Hug is connection and conversation. For Dwyer, this is also true for parenthood to college students in an era defined by technology and mediated communication.
“It's so easy now to just look down and stay into yourself because you either have headphones in, or you're reading something on your phone, or you're just ignoring the world, and it's really easy for kids,” Dwyer said. “Kids get lost, and if there's nobody there, kind of reaching in or reaching for them, they get more lost.”
Hoo Needs a Hug is a chance for parents to reach out and help any students who may be feeling lost. Over just a brief three hours, thousands of students can have a moment and connection with a parent if they want.
“I like doing [this] kind of stuff — dropping in, saying hello, seeing what campus looks like, what their everyday lives look like, and then you know stepping back and letting them live their lives,” Dwyer said. “I think this program allows some parents [to do that].”
Luke Smiley is a staff writer on the life desk. He is a first-year Education student, majoring in kinesiology. Luke is from Chattanooga, Tenn., and he enjoys writing about nature, travel and social experiences. Outside of The Cavalier Daily, Luke is involved in Outdoors Club and is a CPR instructor for CavsCARE.
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