Put a little love in your heart

COEUR d'ALENE - Hugging complete strangers isn't something John Ray does every day, but for "Choose Love over Fear Day," his arms are wide open.

"I think a lot of people take for granted a lot of the little things in life, such as a little hug," said Ray, 19, of Coeur d'Alene. "When you meet somebody, you give them a hug, but that could be somebody's whole day."

Ray, a North Idaho College civil engineering student, is helping to coordinate volunteers to provide free hugs for the Choose Love over Fear Day event, which takes place at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Human Rights Education Institute. He said he is excited to be involved because of how well the event went last year. Ray was so moved by it that he became a volunteer at the institute.

"It's just awesome. It seems so simple choosing love over fear," he said. "When you go out there, you get to see the smiles on everybody's faces. You see their days brighten. You feel so good. It's really a cool thing."

This is the second year Choose Love over Fear Day will be celebrated in Coeur d'Alene, thanks to event organizers Kathleen Lamanna and Jackie Gedeik.

"We thought we could bring this to Coeur d'Alene because it's such a great city," said Lamanna, of Hayden.

Lamanna and Gedeik formed the idea for Choose Love over Fear Day after learning about "Global Love Day," a May 1 worldwide movement to celebrate and expand love.

"It's a day all over the globe when people come together to do and highlight loving gestures," Lamanna said. "It's an opportunity for people to point out to other people where they're valued, and how important that is in our lives."

Gedeik, who is originally from England and moved to Hayden from Hawaii, said she has found more genuine 'aloha' in North Idaho than she ever did in the Aloha State. When Lamanna told her about creating a local version of Global Love Day, she was eager to jump on board.

"We started to have a conversation about what we felt was the general pulse, the feel, the mindset of the community, and this was January 2013," Gedeik said. "Both of us agreed that there was a lot of love but also a lot of fear, divisions and things, and we wanted to bring the community together more."

Choose Love over Fear Day will include several speakers, and a proclamation will be read by Mayor Steve Widmyer. The public is invited to the free event, where refreshments and free hugs will be available.

Ray said he will be wearing a bright smile among the other NIC students who will be happily hugging whomever cares for the small gesture of kindness.

"We shouldn't be so scared of expressing ourselves," he said. "Being college students, you know, you're away from home. You've got a love of love built up, so you have to spread it out."

The intention of Choose Love over Fear Day is "to create opportunities that create and celebrate humanitarian, individual and collective efforts to promote love over fear." It is also to promote random acts of kindness, such as leaving encouraging notes on car windows or volunteering for a few hours.

The HREI is located at 414 Mullan Road in Coeur d'Alene. For information or to volunteer with the event, email [email protected].