Daughter Launches Twitter Campaign to Help Mom Find New Friends
Kate Hoit started a social media campaign so her mother would find friends.
— -- One woman is receiving requests for love and friendship from strangers all over the world after her daughter created a heartwarming campaign to help her find new companions.
"My mom is just a ball of fun," Kate Hoit of Washington, D.C., told ABC News. "She's silly and she loves dancing, and I wanted people to see that about her."
Hoit, 31, said she was prompted to find friends for her mom, Diane Hoit of Albany, N.Y., after noticing how lonely her mom was. Diane Hoit's husband has been living in a nursing home with Alzheimer's for 10 years.
"I want her to be able to have a companion besides me," said Hoit. "I need to help my mom do the things she loves to do when my dad was able to do it."
Kate Hoit set up the Twitter hashtag #DateDiane to find her mom some dates.
"Meet Diane (on the right)," she tweeted. "Looking for: Must be 60-70 yr old. Funny. And flexible? (Don't ask) #DateDiane"
To the surprise of both women, the campaign received responses from as far as Australia and Thailand.
"We were like 'Wow, people are in a similar situation," Hoit said. "I'm her only child. She's 67 and I just want the best for her. If this is what it takes to get her out the door, I think it's worth it."
Diane Hoit admitted that she wasn't exactly sure why her daughter had created the #DateDiane campaign.
"My first reaction was 'Oh my God, Kate. What are you doing?'" she said, laughing. "Then, the more I got into it I said, 'Well, why not. I can find a companion to go to the [Buffalo] Bills games with me, or to hockey games. I'm having fun with it right now, I really am.
"I am lonely, but I have my job so I'm OK," Diane said. "As for Kate feeling guilty [about living far away], she absolutely should not. Kate is my hero. I love her to death. This was the sweetest thing ever."
