WKRN, Nashville, Tennessee News, Weather, and Sports |Murfreesboro teacher breaks world record for hugs

Murfreesboro teacher breaks world record for hugs

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Blackman High School history teacher Warren T. Johnson broke a Guinness Book of World Records record Friday by hugging 1,932 people.

"The record is 765 in one hour," said Johnson just before starting his hug-quest.  "Our goal is at least 1,000."

Aiming for the record was the idea of a student of Johnson's, who thought it might be a good fundraiser.

After watching news coverage of the earthquake devastation in Haiti, Johnson put the idea to work.

"When I was watching the footage for the first time, I thought, you know, one of the first things people do in a time of grief is to give a hug, and it just clicked," he said, and the Hugs for Haiti Challenge was born out of that idea.

Area businesses jumped in with donations and so did students.

"There have been lots of donations, a lot from students," said senior Brandon Creech.  "Usually it's just a few kids who give money for stuff like this, but I know in my first period, most in my class have given a lot of money."

The line of students to be hugged moved faster than Johnson expected and after less than 20 minutes, he had already hugged 600 people, only 165 short of the record, and with 10 minutes left on the time clock, the school started running out of bodies to be hugged.

Teachers, staff, reporters, photographers, parents and siblings all jumped in line and by the end of the hour, Johnson had hugged 1,932 people.

School officials said it would have been more if there had been more people in the gymnasium.

"It was fun," Johnson said with a few beads of sweat on his forehead.  "All the kids came through with smiles on their faces.  I thought I might get 1,000 or 1,200.  I guess it was an hour but it seemed to go by just like that."

The record breaking hugs will have to be verified by Guinness before going into the record books.

The event raised more than $17,000 that will go to the Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti.

School officials are encouraging other schools and organizations to use similar programs to raise money for the Red Cross. 

For more information, visit HugsforHaitiChallenge.com.