Being a peer buddy equals being a friend and a leader.

“Best Buddies helps students understand that friendships are commitments. Once they are formed, they’re bonded forever. In this way the community grows,” said Heidi Davey, English teacher and Best Buddies sponsor.

Best Buddies is a formal movement inspired to create unity and friendship amongst fellow students here at HEHS.

Colleen Little, special education department chair and club sponsor, described the process of training potential leaders and members of the club.

“Best Buddies offers students the opportunity to develop leadership skills. Presidents of the club attend the summer training, where they elaborate ideas and strategies to make the chapter successful,” she said.

The club also serves as a way to promote acceptance and awareness about different disabilities. Throughout the year “training days” are scheduled to give students an insight on how to interact and effectively communicate with students with different disabilities. What peer buddies see is that buddies are not so different from the average student.

“A lot of people don’t know that a lot of the buddies are like us; they deserve friends,” said Tyler Almeida (’15), vice president of the club.

“I get to be with classmates and other students from school,” said buddy Yasmin Cruz, a senior student, after being asked why she likes being a part of Best Buddies.

“Interacting is what I like about it. Our buddies are cool and fun,” said peer-buddy Miracle Nettles (’16). She has been involved in Best Buddies since the seventh grade.

There are many challenges that might present from working with students with disabilities, but in reality the biggest issue that the club faces here at Hoffman is a lack of full commitment from more peer buddies.

“Time management from members can be an issue,” said Almeida.

For this reason, other Best Buddies members and staff encourage that more students be involved in the club, so that each buddy may have a committed partner.

“The club needs more awareness. More people need to know about it,” said peer-buddy Joriana Bonilla (’15).

Although the club promotes a safe environment for interacting and socializing, its main objective is for all buddies and their partners to have fun.

“We avoid downtime. Activities are successful if we’re up and moving. Ultimately it’s all about the fun,” said Little.

Buddy Diego Barrera, a freshman student at HEHS, agreed. “This is the fun part of the day,” he said.

The Best Buddies club at HEHS began in 2001. Best Buddies International is a non-profit organization founded in 1989. It aims to establish a “global volunteer movement that creates opportunities to form one-to-one friendships” for people with developmental, physical, and intellectual disabilities all around the globe.