A friend indeed

Ball State students reach out to community and develop long-term friendships through Best Buddies program

By Tashaundra Golden

Friendship is not to be taken for granted. The Ball State University chapter of Best Buddies, and the community members they befriend, know this and act on this principle.

Best Buddies is a nonprofit organization for people with mental disabilities that was founded in 1989 by Anthony Shriver. The organization grew, and has 15 Indiana chapters. In 2004, Best Buddies came to Ball State and now has 44 active members.

Not every member has a buddy. Some are associate members, which means they are still a part of every aspect of the organization but they are without a buddy. As an active member, students meet with their buddy at least once a month and contact them every week.

“I had just switched from being a business major to a psychology major,” says Dan Ladig, the College Buddy Director of the Ball State chapter. “I picked up a Daily News and saw the ad in the paper, contacted the director and here I am.”

Ladig has been with his buddy for two years, and they have a routine of going to Fazoli’s on Tuesday nights. The buddy that he had his first year in Best Buddies, Brian, still sees him and smiles. Ladig says that Brian remembers their trips to McDonald’s. “Something as simple as taking [the buddies] to McDonald’s means much more than we’ll know,” Ladig says.

The activities that the buddies and students engage in vary from bowling to sporting events. Activity Coordinator Laura Miller and Co-Activity Coordinator Becky Haley are responsible for planning the events. Miller says that the greatest part of being in the organization is not the position she holds but that she can sit back and watch friendships develop, knowing that she had a part in it. The buddies also assist in the event planning. They constantly give Miller new ideas on what they would like to do.

Miller has been a part of the organization since her senior year in high school; she is now a junior at Ball State. Abby Balhmenn has been Miller’s buddy since her freshman year. Their favorite activities are singing and watching Full House together.

Buddies involved in this program are grateful to spend time with someone outside of their homes. The buddies come from Hillcroft Services, a nonprofit organization that supports and provides services for children and adults with delays in mental development. For 54 years, the service has helped people with disabilities find jobs and secure housing so they can live independently.

According to Ladig, the greatest reward of the program is the effect the students have on their buddies. The chapter has grown to 30 buddies and 44 students. Ball State’s Chapter of Best Buddies won an international award as one of the Most Overall Outstanding Chapter Universities for the 2007-08 school year.

“People often take the ability to make friendships for granted, but these buddies don’t,” Miller says. “They enjoy being able to go out with friends and have meaningful relationships with people who are not simply paid to be in their life, because sadly, that is often the case.”