Canfield man embraces a heartwarming cause
By Elise Franco
Jeff Ondash wants to raise $10,000 for the American Heart Association.
CANFIELD — Jeff Ondash needs to hug 5,500 strangers in 24 hours.
Ondash, 51, of Canfield, broke the record for most hugs in one hour at the Boardman Relay for Life in May 2008. Now he’s trying for the most hugs in a 24-hour period.
From 7 p.m. Feb. 12 to 7 p.m. the following day, Ondash will stand outside the Paris Las Vegas Hotel and hug anyone who will let him. He said he needs to hug at least 5,500 people to break the record.
Ondash said that for the record to count in the Guinness World Records, he must follow certain rules.
“I have to stay in one area for the 24-hour period with two judges there at all times as witnesses,” he said. “The people have to come to me.”
Ondash said another person must count each hug, and he can hug each person only one time.
Breaking the record isn’t about the recognition, though. He said it’s more about contributing to a cause close to him.
More than 20 years ago, Ondash’s father and brother both died after complications from heart attacks.
“The money we raise will go to the American Heart Association,” Ondash said. “The AHA is near and dear to me, so raising the money is more important than breaking the record.”
Ondash said he hopes to raise at least $10,000 through donations from people passing by the hotel and those who stop to help him break the hug record. He said he doesn’t expect that goal to be difficult to attain, given the location.
“I’m betting that as people are walking by they won’t be putting just $1 bills into the barrel,” he said. “Especially as the night goes on and foot traffic gets heavier.”
He said Jeff Simon, president of Simco Management Corp. in Girard, has already made a substantial donation on behalf of the company.
“I was floored,” Ondash said. “I never expected anything like that.”
Simon, who declined to say how much money he donated, said he heard about Ondash’s endeavor through a mutual friend and was interested to find out more.
“Philanthropy has always been a very important part of my family,” Simon said. “I very much support his cause, and I think he’s doing a terrific thing here for the Valley and the American Heart Association.”
Ondash is featured in the 2010 Guinness World Records for breaking the record for most hugs given by an individual in one hour — 1,205 people.
He said he’d also like to eventually try to break the record for the longest single hug, which he said would be 24 hours and one second.
efranco@vindy.com