Surprise & Delight

Today I kinda hit the jackpot meeting up with Stephanie, a girl giving away hugs, and Chris, a.k.a. the Tin Man! I am inspired by students who aren't afraid to put themselves out there in potentially awkward positions. While I wasn't able to "interview" Chris, Stephanie was more than happy to share her thoughts with me.
Stephanie, you are clearly taking a risk here. What is it that motivates you to do what you're doing right now? People... I love people and feel that everybody could use a hug every now and then.
Where do you think this passion comes from? I grew up in a loving family, and this is one way I can pass that love along.
Did you come to college with any kind of spiritual background? Yes, I grew up Catholic and went to Catholic school, but I think the church is a bit too structured. I would say that I believe in God, but I haven't really found any church that works for me.
Since you have a belief in God, on a scale of 1 -10, how much influence do you think God has on your daily decisions? I would say a 10.
God seems to be pretty important to you, so if you were looking for a church where real Christians are, what would you be looking for? I don't know really. Less structure maybe...

Our talk went much further and longer than a brief interview, and I'll have to say it was interesting to see how other people reacted to her offer of free hugs. We talked about the responses she was getting among other things. I couldn't leave without getting my free hug...

Will

What wakes you up and stirs your passions, Will? I would say it's music. I am a fiddler/vocalist for a local Irish band.
Do you have any kind of spiritual background? Not really - I was raised Methodist, but I don't think it's had much direct influence.
So your experience there hasn't been a significant influence on your life... Not really... It gave me a sense of the broad scope of morality, but didn't help me much with the deeper questions. I think the best approach is to do what's right for your life, and avoid things that hurt people around you.

Tony

What wakes you up and starts your engine every day? People - Helping people, making people laugh
Why is that? It probably came from my family. My dad is that way - fun-loving, always looking for ways to help
Do you have any kind of spiritual/faith background? Yes. I'm Catholic, been Catholic all my life.
Do you think your experience with the church helped you determine what's ultimately important? Absolutely. The church probably had something to do with my wanting to help people.
On a scale of 1 - 10, with 10 being HIGH, how much do things you learned and believe affect your everyday decisions? 10 - I think about these things all the time.

The Launch - Finally

It's taken a while to get everything up and running, but we're ready to roll. My first questions are getting to the point of what's really important to us, so without wasting a lot of time, here's the opening entries...