Best Buddies is an international non-profit organization that aims at developing leadership, inclusion and friendships between students with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Recently, the school’s Best Buddies chapter hosted a car wash fundraiser that will benefit the Friendship Walk, a nationwide event that promotes inclusion and supports individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through fundraising and community engagement..
The donations to the Friendship Walk help fund the event. To encourage donations, the friendship walk has prizes for different levels of money raised for the chapters.
“We raised a certain amount of money so our chapter gets a tent at the Friendship Walk,” senior Best Buddies president Piper Heath said.
The car wash fundraiser has been a tradition each spring for the Best Buddies club.
“What’s successful about the car wash is that everybody loves coming in getting their car washed by all the club members, everybody has fun with it. We have music playing and vibes are high spirited,” Heath said.
The carwash took place Sunday Mar. 30 at Scotland Yard. The goal for the carwash was to raise at least $500, and they successfully raised well above that at $980, which will benefit the friendship walk. This year, the friendship walk will take place on April 26, at Rough Riders Field in Frisco, Texas.
Throughout the year, the Best buddies club tries to make things as fun as possible, especially for the “buddies,” so they aim to keep things lighthearted and playful at the carwash each year.
“They always shoot each other with water [hoses] so it turns into a fun event,” Special Ed coordinator and Best Buddies sponsor Tyson Peterson said.
The car wash fundraiser is Peterson’s most impactful Best Buddies event of the year because it brings students together for a common cause.
“It’s fun when you get to see a bunch of students and, you know, they’re helping the Best Buddy program so that it keeps growing,” Peterson said.
The car wash cost $10 a person, and could be paid by either cash or Venmo. There was an assembly line where each Best Buddies “family” will be at a different station, such as spray, soaping, scrubbing, and rinsing to make the process as efficient as possible.
The Best Buddies club mainly focuses on relationships within the club throughout the year, so fundraisers are essential to their club’s success.
“We don’t have a whole bunch of fundraiser events so this is, this is important for everyone to participate because it really is, like, our main way to raise money for Best Buddies,” Davidson said.
Best Buddies creates meaningful friendships between students with and without disabilities through shared events and activities. These relationships allow people to break social barriers, make friends in new circles, and lead people to feel valued and included within each other. Davidson was encouraged to join best buddies while serving as an office aid, and has loved it ever since.
“I think that it is really meaningful just because it allows you to get to know people that you wouldn’t have known if it’s for if not for Best Buddies,” Davidson said.
Turnout for the carwash was important because it gave students a chance to come together in a meaningful way.
“Honestly you don’t get to do this all the time, it’s not just a dinner or little picnic. You’re doing something rare, we just make it super fun, even though it’s as simple as washing a car,” Davidson said.
