The Cost of Loneliness Project Announces a Journey Across America Leading to the First National Day of Connection on Nov. 12

Founder Lucy Rose begins Walk With Me, a two-month journey through more than 45 communities in 17 states, calling on every American to join a new national tradition: Take 12 at 12 on Nov. 12

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Sept. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Sept. 18, Lucy Rose, founder and president of The Cost of Loneliness Project, will leave Santa Monica, California, and begin a two-month journey across America called Walk With Me: A Journey Toward Connection. Her purpose is to help change the culture of connection in a country facing a chronic loneliness and social isolation crisis.

Traveling on foot and by vehicle through more than 45 cities and towns across 17 states, Rose will meet with community members, mayors, educators, health care leaders, employers, students and local organizations. She will listen, collect stories from across the country and highlight how communities are already creating places where people know they belong and they matter.

"I want to hear how loneliness shows up in towns that have nothing in common on paper, and I want to see the connection people are already creating in their own neighborhoods," Rose said. "Communities in this country know things about belonging, and too often about its absence, that no study will ever capture."

The journey arrives in New York City on Nov. 12, where The Cost of Loneliness Project will launch the first National Day of Connection.

National Day of Connection and Take 12 at 12
At the center of the day is one call to action for everyone. At noon, local time, on Nov. 12, people across the country are asked to stop what they are doing and spend 12 intentional minutes connecting with one person in their life. It may be a friend, a family member, a neighbor, a coworker, or someone they have been meaning to call.

Those 12 minutes matter, and the larger goal is to begin or deepen a relationship so every person knows they belong, they matter and they are not alone. Twelve minutes is where that begins.

"Our hope is that Nov. 12 becomes a new national tradition, one day each year when millions of people pause long enough to strengthen a relationship and remind someone they matter," Rose said. "This is a call to action with a date, so put Nov. 12 on your calendar today. Decide who is getting those 12 minutes, and let those 12 minutes become the beginning of something much bigger.”

What Chronic Loneliness Costs Us
The National Day of Connection was created in response to mounting evidence that chronic loneliness has become one of the most significant and most overlooked public health challenges in the country. According to a 2023 advisory from the U.S. Surgeon General, about one in two American adults experiences measurable loneliness. The World Health Organization estimates that loneliness and social isolation contribute to about 100 deaths every hour worldwide.

Research has linked chronic loneliness to increased risk of heart disease, stroke, dementia, depression, anxiety, addiction and premature death. Studies have put the toll on U.S. employers at $460 billion in health care costs, sick days, absenteeism and turnover.

"Every major public health movement has begun when people decided that what had become normal was no longer acceptable," Rose said. "We have quietly accepted chronic loneliness for far too long. We know what it is costing our health, our families, our workplaces and our communities. That price is simply too high."

Why Lucy Rose
Rose has spent more than 30 years working to improve public health through national leadership roles in health communications, regulatory leadership and patient education. At the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, she directed the Office of Training and Communications in the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, and she led the division responsible for ensuring that the health information reaching American doctors and patients was accurate and truthful. Today she believes one of the greatest opportunities to improve health and well-being is also one of the most human: helping people build stronger relationships.

She founded The Cost of Loneliness Project after her own experience with chronic loneliness. Following nearly two decades of constant business travel, she realized that being surrounded by people had not left her feeling connected. During a walk through New York City's Central Park with her daughter, she admitted aloud that she was chronically lonely. As she explored the research, she found that millions of others were living the same experience while believing they were alone. She built the organization to help change that.

How to Take Part
The National Day of Connection is designed to become more than a single day of action. It is intended to establish a new national habit, one that reminds the country each year that meaningful relationships are built through intentional moments repeated over time.

The Cost of Loneliness Project is calling on individuals, families, employers, schools, colleges and universities, health care organizations, nonprofits, civic groups and communities to put Nov. 12 on their calendars today and make intentional connection a priority. Participation guides and planning resources for individuals, workplaces, schools and campuses, and community organizations are available at thecostofloneliness.org/nationaldayofconnection, along with a countdown to noon on Nov. 12 and a place to share how people plan to connect.

"Chronic loneliness is a public health crisis that requires action from all of us," Rose said. "I am asking every person, employer, school, health system, and civic group to take part. Reach out to someone. Encourage your people to do the same, and take an honest look at what it would take to strengthen connection inside your own culture, then act on it. This is a movement, and it is about changing how we think and how we act, on Nov. 12 and every day after."

For information, participation guides, updates on Walk With Me and the National Day of Connection, and ways to join the movement, visit thecostofloneliness.org and follow The Cost of Loneliness Project on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

About The Cost of Loneliness Project
The Cost of Loneliness Project is a national movement working to inspire cultures of connection in which every person feels valued, prioritized and seen. The organization raises awareness of the human and societal costs of chronic loneliness, shares stories that help people connect, and brings together leaders across health, education, business, policy, design and culture to strengthen belonging in communities. Its work includes research translation, storytelling, community activation, and the National Day of Connection, held annually on Nov. 12. Learn more at thecostofloneliness.org.

Contact
Scott Moody
smoody@thevariable.com