Aaron Vanderpool

By Cheryl Jahn

The Hugs

A unique Winterfest event

Feb 12, 2026 | 2:13 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – For the fourth year, a special event will be happening at Winterfest on Saturday.

Between 1 and 3 p.m., volunteers will be camped out at the Conference and Civic Centre, sharing 20-second hugs.

The idea came from Aaron Vanderpool, who lost his only child just over four years ago and, as part of the grieving process.

“It’s really an opportunity for people who have lost anyone, in any form or fashion, to really connect with other people in the same situation and get a hug because, hugs have been proven to be therapeutic, especially over seconds,” he explains.

He says the event is part of a personal journey for him.

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“Well, my only child, Taraji, passed away from suicide, over four years ago. And one of the last things that I remember about them was the night before, they gave me this really big hug. And, if you know teenagers, they sometimes they just don’t like hugs. And, in the grieving process, I was looking for somewhere to put my love and put my focus. I was in a group of, with other people and, and they were focused on creating different projects. And I had a project in mind, like a podcast or something like that, but it just really didn’t work out.”

Instead, the idea of hugs was born..