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Mental Health Group Gives Hugs to Va. Moviegoers

Posted: 12:32 PM Feb 16, 2013

February 16, 2013

WAYNESBORO, Va. (AP) - Moviegoers got more than just tickets when they arrived at a Waynesboro theater. Volunteers raising awareness about depression and seasonal affective disorder were there to offer hugs.

The News-Leader reports seven volunteers held out bowls of chocolate and wore signs around their necks offering free hugs at Zeus Digital Theaters on Friday.

The volunteers were with a local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. They also handed out literature about mental illness. The annual event was timed to occur around Valentine's Day.

Twelve-year-old moviegoer Kara Kirby ran over to a volunteer for a hug and exclaimed, "You just made my day!"