What to know about Best Buddies at West
Every other week, the members of the club Best Buddies meet up for a couple hours of casual fun, joking and laughing while waiting for the first activity, which could be anything from cookie decorating to a dance off. The members of this club are made up of students with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“It’s just a really welcoming and friendly sort of environment,” said junior Sophia Lee of the club.
The goal of this student-run group is to form friendships and good memories for students and to dismantle the prejudices surrounding those with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Each Buddy has a Buddy Family who takes them to do a fun activity outside of school twice a month, contributing to the close bond they feel.
Junior Hailie Woolmer says the club is important because, “If your buddy has a bad day then maybe you can be that one bright spot in their day.”
The club is hosted a screening of the film The R Word on March 3rd, with film director Amanda Lukoff making a special appearance.
If you are interested in joining Best Buddies, the club offers a warm and inclusive environment, where the only requirement to join is wanting to make friends. They offer pizza and cookies at some meetings, and every student interested in joining is welcome to come down to the cafeteria Wednesday after school.
