Rittenhouse Senior Living of Valparaiso will be hosting an I Need a Hug drive at their community located at 1300 Vale Park Road. New, small stuffed animals can be dropped off at Rittenhouse of Valparaiso anytime from October 1st-October 31st. Children who drop off a stuffed animal during the Indoor Trick or Treat at Rittenhouse on October 29th 6:00-730pm will be entered into a raffle for a gift card.
The United Way I Need a Hug program was developed in 2003 by the United Way Regional Volunteer Center in partnership with the Valparaiso Softball Team. Throughout the year, new, small stuffed animals are collected by businesses, groups, churches, book clubs, boards, and schools as well as local campus wide drives. These animals are given to the Guidance Counselors in our elementary schools to be used as counseling tools and to 1st and 2nd grade students to be used as reading buddies. Each student reads aloud to their "buddy" for a minimum for 15 minutes a day. United Way I Need a Hug is currently in 106 classrooms throughout Northwest Indiana.
For more information call Rittenhouse at 219.531.2484 or visit www.unitedwaypc.org.