Best Buddies bridge the disability gap

Every week they talk on the phone. They usually see each other once a week as they go shopping, listen to music, eat dinner or chill out together. What matters most is they are together. They are “best buddies,” which means lifelong friends to them.

Dupe Adebayo, College Buddy Director at GCSU, and Booker T. Washington, a disabled man residing in Milledgeville, have been “best buddies” for over a year now. Their friendship began through the program Best Buddies supported by the GIVE Center.

Best Buddies is a non-profit organization that began in 1987 and pairs people, such as college students, with youth and adults with intellectual disabilities in one-on-one friendships. Best Buddies has already changed thousands of participants’ lives worldwide, including some here on the GCSU campus.

Emma Hall, a junior special education major, has been actively involved in Best Buddies since her freshman year at GCSU.

“I was walking around on Front Campus when people were advertising all the organizations. I stopped by the Best Buddies table to sign up,” said Hall. “I went to the first meetings and fell in love right away.”

However, Hall’s love for the program comes more from her personal life experience than mere interest. One of her own family members lives with a disability – her little brother.

“It takes a lot of work to take care of a person with disabilities. A lot of these people do not get the opportunity to go out and just hang out with a group of people very often,” said Hall. “They don’t have a place to find a group of people who can socialize on their level. By doing Best Buddies though, they are given that opportunity.”

The GCSU Best Buddies program is getting revved up for this school year. Friendships are evolving and new pairs are being made. The program has scheduled events for the semester, such as a karaoke night and a Christmas party. Buddies are always excited about hanging out with student volunteers no matter the occasion.

“When the buddies see that there are people that just want to be there and be their friend, they are sincerely happy,” Adebayo said. “These buddies get to gain friends and learn how to communicate. They learn to socialize and adapt more to society like ‘regular’ people.”

Best Buddies serves as a bridge to a more accepting world. Since founding the organization, it has reached over 350,000 individuals annually and more than 1,300 middle school, high school and college campuses covering six continents. According to their Web site, “Best Buddies volunteers annually contribute services to the community that equate to more than $70 million USD.”

Brittany Williams, a senior psychology major, has been involved in the program since her sophomore year. Her buddy has greatly impacted her life.

“My buddy has a rare disability, yet she is friendly and outgoing. She really likes Mickey Mouse. Usually we play with him and then eat dinner with her family,” Williams said. “Best Buddies is so rewarding because you get the chance to make someone’s day. Little stuff makes them happy. It’s just great to put a smile on their face.”

In addition to one-on-one partnerships, Best Buddies has also created e-Buddies and Best Buddies jobs. GCSU Best Buddies is jumping on board with the e-Buddies program, which creates e-mail relationships between people with and without intellectual disabilities. Members teach the buddies to use e-mail. Currently, Adebayo estimates there are over 50 buddies being positively impacted by the GCSU campus volunteer network. As the next few weeks continue, more buddies are being matched and new volunteers are getting connected.

Adebayo says her dream for the Best Buddies program is not conducive to large numbers of partners, rather she wants lasting relationships. Likewise, she hopes the relationships abound to mean as much to the volunteers as they do to the buddies.

“This program makes me want to be a better person and actually do something with my life opposed to just getting by. The buddies are giving everything just to be a buddy,” Adebayo said.
If you want more information on the Best Buddies program e-mail Dupe Adebayo at modupeola_adebayo@ecats.gcsu.edu, or contact the GIVE Center at (478) 445-4027.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 26 2008. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry