True friends are few and far between and sometimes hard to come by, but one organization in Auburn offers best buddies for a lifetime.
Best Buddies is a non-profit, international organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-on-one friendships, according to the organization's Web site.
The organization pairs a volunteer with a "buddy," someone who is intellectually disabled.
"A lot of the buddies in the communities only interact with the close friends and family members," said Chad Tyler, director of Best Buddies of Auburn and a senior in building science. "We have the buddies draw a map of everyone they're friends with, and our goal is to make those maps grow bigger."
Tyler explains that this provides the buddies with a social avenue that they would not normally have. They form friendships with people they can call years down the road Tyler said.
Elizabeth Nielson, a junior in nursing, has been a volunteer for Best Buddies for the past two years.
Nielson thinks being part of Best Buddies has been a rewarding experience and has opened her eyes.
"The best part of being in the program is the one-on-one time I spend with my buddy," Nielson said. "She enjoys golfing and so do I. We always go out and find something to do, whether it's going out to eat, going to the mall or even just sitting at the apartment and watching TV. It's also a time for me to take my mind off school and enjoy the small things in life."
There are two different types of volunteers for the organization. Associates, are not matched with a buddy, but help out and plan activities and events. College buddies are matched with people who have intellectual disabilities and interact with them.
Volunteers are required to participate in the program from August to May and are obliged to contact their buddies at least once per week to have one-on-one time every other week.
Tyler said the organization is looking for genuinely interested, compassionate individuals with patience that are able to make the commitment.
"They're going into the program to help out the buddies and aid them in becoming more interactive, which they do, but it also happens the other way around," Tyler said. "The college students are the ones who have the best experience out of it."
Cathy Nyland, who has been in the organization for 10 years, is the program's Buddy Director and a former buddy.
"It's good for the people involved because they are happy to be with their buddy," Nyland said. "It's good to have buddies and have someone who could do things such as going out to eat and go shopping."
Tyler said they are trying to implement a program that will extend to local high school and middle school students as volunteers.
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