The joy of giving hugs
![](https://www.castlepinesconnection.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/09-kathyvicki-1024x768.jpg)
Kathy Heinz and Vicki Alfano at The Country Club at Castle Pines last July at a charity golf tournament held by the Women’s 18-Hole group which raised thousands of dollars for Hugaroo, Inc. They posed with a picture of a child who received a hug/stuffed animal in the hospital.
Sometimes something good comes from a tragedy and it has a ripple effect beyond what anyone could imagine. The Village at Castle Pines resident Vicki Alfano shared the story of her best friend’s daughter, Morgan, who lost her battle with muscle cancer in 1999. Morgan was a senior in high school. “Through her hospital stay, Morgan held on to a stuffed animal she had received from a stranger. Her younger sister Jenna realized how much comfort it gave her sister,” Vicki explained.
Jenna created Hugaroo, a program to give new stuffed animals to hospitalized children. Jenna received a Girl Scout Gold award for her project. In 2007, Jenna and her parents, Mike and Berta, founded the nonprofit Hugaroo, Inc. to continue the program in North Carolina, providing stuffed animals to children who have experienced a life-threatening illness, traumatic event or are at risk. Hugaroo has since expanded in the south, and three years ago, Vicki decided to bring the program to Colorado. Vicki and Berta still talk almost daily and take yearly trips together.
Vicki and another friend in the Village, Kathy Heinz, began by giving 50 stuffed animals to the Highlands Ranch Children’s Hospital when it opened. Now they donate about 400 animals a month. Vicki said the animals are a hug and something soft to hold on to during a tough time, whether it be a child heading into surgery, or in an ambulance or police car.
“When they hand the animal to a child, it takes away some of the fear,” Vicki said, adding, “Doctors will put a cast on a bear or give it a shot to show the child not to be scared.” Vice-Chair on the Hugaroo board, Vicki asked, “Where else would only five dollars bring so much good to a child that needs a smile?”
In addition to Hugaroo, which brings Vicki much joy and connection, she is busy in retirement with two book groups and two bible study groups. Most important, though, is her family. Vicki and her husband, Joe, have two grown sons and six grandchildren, five of which live close by. Vicki and Joe play golf at The Country Club at Castle Pines, despite Vicki undergoing five major surgeries in the last five years. Joe is also retired and enjoys fly fishing as well as playing guitar and singing at open mics.
The couple have lived in Colorado since 1977 and have called The Village home since 2001. “Still to this day, when I come off the freeway at Happy Canyon, I feel peaceful,” said Vicki. “I love it here.”
For more information, visit hugaroo.org.
![](https://www.castlepinesconnection.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/09-Vickifam-1024x951.jpg)
Joe and Vicki Alfano (center) with their family. From left to right, Becky, Maggie, son Patrick, Piper, Dominic, Julian, son Joey, Sarah and Nell.
By Lisa Nicklanovich; photos courtesy of Vicki Alfano