Spreading holiday cheer, hugs and awareness about mental health!

HugTrainUSA launches from Penn Station tomorrow!
We’re so excited to get this going!
Arié will be tweeting from the train on @HugTrainUSA

Departure is at 3:45 PM and Arié should be at the station from 3 PM if you want to get your hugs in!

Here’s the link to facebook event for the launch: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=241062534950

There will be a stop in Albany tomorrow evening from 6:20 to 7:05 PM and Arié will change trains from the Lakeshore Limited to the California Zephyr in Chicago on Monday morning arriving at 9:45 and leaving at 14:00.

For me details on the rest of the HugTrainUSA itinerary have a look at our Itinerary page!

See you at the station!

Hi everyone,

Thank you for your awesome support and your help getting the word out about HugTrainUSA!

We wanted to let you know that all funds collected by HugTrainUSA will be donated to Mental Health America.

If you’re not along the route or you can’t meet the train, we encourage you to donate directly to Mental Health America online or by phone by calling 800-969-6642 and selecting option 3.

Thank you again for your support!

Thank you so much for your positive feedback. The response has been great.

People have been asking how they can help so here are the areas we need the most help with right now:

The most important thing is for people who want hugs to get hugs so we need your help putting us in touch with those people and getting them to the train station!

Design: We really could use the help of a designer to make the website look a little nicer, make an avatar/logo we can use on facebook and twitter, some blog badges and possibly a designto print out on t-shirts.

Writing: We need help getting the word out! That means blog entries and tweets and possibly even media. We could also use help running this site and the twitter account (@HugTrainUSA)

Photography: We could use some pictures to go up on the site right now and for people to help take pictures throughout the trip!

Local Organizers: If you live anywhere along the HugTrain’s itinerary and you want to help organise the meetups at the station or close by we’d love to hear from you!

Nice to haves: It would aslo be nice to have a contact at Amtrak to help this run smoothly, Internet and phone access throughout the trip, a video/still  camera so I can document the trip from my point of view and maybe some help with healthy Kosher food during the long train rides (Chicago to San Francisco and Los Angeles to New Orleans are both 2 days long)

If you can be of help or know anyone who can help with any of the above please let me know by commenting on this page or e-mailing me at arie.moyal AT blcubed.com

Thank you! *HUGS*

If you’re here you’ve probably heard about #HugTrainUSA on twitter and you’re wondering what it is.

Here’s a quick overview:

I’ll be travelling around the USA by train starting in New York on December 27, 2009 and ending in Boston on January 10th , 2010.

I figured since I’m doing this anyway why not add a social change/charity aspect to it and make it fun?
I also thought that since the holidays can be tough on people some cheer could be useful and what better way than to spread it with hugs?

And that’s how I came up with the HugTrain!

8 stops in 15 days including Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Atlanta and Washington D.C. spreading holiday cheer and raising money and awareness about mental health!

For a more detailed itinerary, click here
I haven’t chosen a charity yet but I have approached some and am waiting to hear back.
What do you think? Can you help me spread the word or donate some time to make the HugTrain the best it can be?

Please comment below or e-mail me at arie <DOT> moyal <AT> gmail <DOT> com

Hope to hear from you!

Arié