Best Buddies makes new pairs
Relationships came to life at the Best Buddies meet and greet session on Monday.
Best Buddies, a partnership between Baldwin Service Center, Wilkinson Service Center and GC&SU, pairs up college students with mentally challenged adults.
“Best Buddies is an international organization started by Anthony Kennedy Shriver around 1989,” said Amy Childre, Assistant Professor of Special Education. “The purpose is to build friendships with people with disabilities.”
Unlike Big Brothers Big Sisters, Best Buddies relies on the participants to pair up.
“It is a more natural pairing of the students and adults,” said Childre. “There are no assigned pairs. Sometimes we get a perfect match, and sometimes we don’t. For those that don’t, we keep trying until a match is found.”
The Wilkinson Service Center also participates with the GC&SU chapter of Best Buddies.
“Wilkinson County doesn’t have a Best Buddies program,” said Cheryl Blankenship, Program Coordinator for the Wilkinson Service Center. “I found out about this organization when I started classes here, and I thought it would be a great opportunity for the people we service.”
According to Blankenship, the participation of the disabled adults in Wilkinson County has grown every year.
“We started with six our first year, then seven the next, and eight this year,” said Blankenship.
The benefits of this organization are far reaching.
“This organization allows everyone a feeling of equality,” said Marianne McAllister, Program Coordinator for the Baldwin Service Center. “The college students are so kind and so great with these people.”
“It gives the adults a relationship outside of family and paid staff,” said Blankenship. “It’s a natural friendship.”
“We’ve seen changes in how people in the community treat them,” said Childre. “There is more acceptance being shown now. Instead of a waitress asking `what does she want’ to the disabled person’s companion, they are asking directly.”
The only requirement of the students is that they maintain weekly contact and go on two outings a month with their buddy. However, if a student thinks that the commitment is too difficult, another student may step in to help out.
“The students become a part of the family for the most part,” said Blankenship. “There are students who will go to their buddy’s house on a regular basis just to visit.”
The meet and greet session was a great success.
“The night was amazing to me,” said Karen Reddish, Director of Best Buddies. “I left the Meet and Greet social feeling so complete. Approximately 25-30 Buddy Matches were made. It makes me so happy to know that the buddies left the social with a new friend. The smiles on the buddies’ faces let me know that the social was a success!”
If you are interested in becoming a Best Buddy, contact Karen Reddish at 445-0595 or by e-mail at bestbuddiesgcsu@yahoo.com.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Sep 21 2001. Filed under News.
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