UF’s GatorWell Health Promotion Services wants students to spread the love to everyone this Valentine’s Day.
GatorWell is running a two-week promotion called “Model Healthy Relationships” that focuses on core components of healthy interactions, said Samantha Evans, a health promotion specialist at GatorWell.
Students working in the GatorWell huts are talking about the message on campus and handing out items to spread the message.
“Love comes in lots of different forms, and it’s not just through people that you may be sexually active with,” Evans said. “When it comes to Valentine’s Day and healthy relationships in general, it’s important to know that connectedness with others is an essential part of overall health and wellbeing.”
Valentine’s Day is a day for all kinds of love and should be a day to appreciate all relationships, Evans said.
“We are trying to look beyond just those relationships where you might have sex with someone,” she said.
She said the message encourages students to not get caught up on the word “relationship.”
Jaclyn Gutierrez, a 20-year-old UF marketing sophomore, said she loves the idea of GatorWell’s message. Gutierrez said she grew up thinking of Valentine’s Day as a day for showing all kinds of love.
“It’s a great excuse to remind your friends that you love them,” she said.
[A version of this story ran on page 3 on 2/14/2014 under the headline "GatorWell coaches Gators to foster healthy relationships"]
