{"id":155457,"date":"2026-09-23T11:10:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T15:10:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457//news/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457//?p=155457"},"modified":"2026-09-23T11:10:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T15:10:18","slug":"the-heartfelt-story-behind-ucf-alums-annual-mom-hugs-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457//news/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457//the-heartfelt-story-behind-ucf-alums-annual-mom-hugs-day/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457//","title":{"rendered":"The Heartfelt Story Behind Âé¶¹Ó³»­´«Ã½ Alum/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457/u2019s Annual Mom Hugs Day"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Every time a Âé¶¹Ó³»­´«Ã½ student accepts a hug from Kelly Haskins /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457/u201991, the radio-TV grad pulls them in and asks the same question:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457/n

/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457/u201cWhen was the last time you saw your mom?/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457/n

When she first started Mom Hugs Day in 2022 as a tribute to her late son/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457//former Âé¶¹Ó³»­´«Ã½ student, Hunter, she was stunned by some of the answers./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457/n

/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457/u201cThere were a few international kids who had not seen their moms in two years,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457/u201d she recalls. /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457/u201cThose hugs meant a lot./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457/n

Four years in, the fifth annual Mom Hugs Day /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457/u2014 which will be held Thursday, Sept. 24, from noon until 2 p.m. at Ferrell Commons /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457/u2014 has grown from two moms to 50. Some bring pre-packaged snacks and water to hand out. Some sense a student is really struggling and personally connect them to Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) or Student Health Services to get the support they need. Chipper, the Âé¶¹Ó³»­´«Ã½ Police Department therapy dog, makes appearances./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457/n

Haskins looks forward to organizing the event every year on behalf of her nonprofit organization, Do It for Hunter, in partnership with Âé¶¹Ó³»­´«Ã½ Wellness and Health Promotions Services (WHPS)./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457/n

/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457/u201cWe get more out of it than we give. We walk away just filled with love, and we all say, we wish we could do this every day,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457/u201d Haskins says. /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457/u201cWe just want to do a little something to try to help especially some of the young people in our area because after losing Hunter, we didn/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457/u2019t want this to happen to another family./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457/n

Remembering Hunter/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457/n

Haskins, who has called Merritt Island, Florida, home since she moved from Michigan in the ninth grade, is from a family of Knights. Her husband, Andrew Haskins /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457/u201997, graduated with an electrical engineering degree. They sent their daughters Haley /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457/u201916 (psychology) and Hannah /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457/u201918 (nursing) here./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457/n

By the time her son Hunter enrolled in 2021, she was practiced at the college kid send-off./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/155457/n