Crosswalks at Ball State University are full of frantic movement.  But as IPR’s Daniel Huber reports, there’s one woman who’s standing still, waiting for those who need her in a moment.

Yvonne Dodrill wears a t-shirt and bears a sign with a simple mission: “Mom Hugs.”  Because sometimes all you need is a hug.

“Cause the world is kind of dark… I just want people to see a smile and a friendly face and know that there’s a word of encouragement there. And I see you.”

She started giving hugs because she wanted to make a difference in someone’s life.

“So, I was like, what can I do? And so, this was something that I just felt like, you know, is important.  You guys have really grown up in a really weird world, and nothing is normal. Normal just kind of bit the dust five years ago.”

A 2023 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that participants who hugged more often had lower cortisol levels, a primary stress hormone.

Read More: Your college student is back home and you want to talk mental health? Keep this in mind.

For Dodrill, a hug is just what some people need.

“You know, that’s the bonus if I can help somebody realize that. Hey, you were seeing today. Somebody saw you, and somebody acknowledged you, and somebody recognized your presence and your space in this world. It’s a good thing.”

Daniel Huber is a news fellow with Ball State Public Media’s Public Media Accelerator student fellowships.