‘Now we’re best friends’: Best Buddies Friendship Walk raises money and awareness in Champaign
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Thursday morning was full of smiles, cheering and lots of fun at Edison Middle School in Champaign. The “Best Buddies Friendship Walk” was all to support and celebrate the Best Buddies program.
“We like to say it’s our biggest party for inclusion in the state,” Rebecca Impens, the communications and stewardship director, said. “This is a celebration of all of the work that our participants, our schools, our ambassadors and our job participants have done all year long.”
Best Buddies is an international non-profit aiming to create friendships between students and their peers with disabilities. Because of it, Zander Hackman and Andrew Pierce have created a lifelong bond as buddies at Centennial High School.
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“We are together to succeed in life,” Pierce described. “I really enjoy being able to do those fun things out in the world. We’re all different but we all have our strengths.”
Days like this mean a lot to Hackman; he loves being part of a group that includes everyone.
“Best Buddies is something that I’ve always wanted to be a part of. Being with Andrew… I unexpectedly came across him and now we’re best friends,” Hackman said.
Jolia Meleika, a sixth grader, feels the same.
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“Best Buddies is very important to me because I want to show people out there that they are very important,” she said. “They’re the same as us just one thing different.”
It’s things like that that really put a smile on Impens’ face, especially when hundreds of people band together to support everyone.
“So meaningful you can’t put it into words,” she said.
Nearly 500 people were there for the event, and have raised about $10,000 so far. If you want to donate, you can click this link.
If you’d like to get involved, Impens suggests reaching out to your local school for specific details. Or, you can email illinois@bestbuddies.org
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