In honor of the launch of the Arrows of Friendship Charm Bangle benefiting Best Buddies International, we’re excited to welcome Emma Lamothe as a guest blogger.
Lamothe, a 15 year old student from Attleboro, Massachusetts, was motivated to join the Best Buddies chapter in her middle school in 2011 after seeing the isolation and exclusion of her classmates that have intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Under her leadership, her Best Buddies chapter went on to receive the Outstanding Middle School award from the organization.
Her commitment to advance the inclusion of people with IDD has continued within her high school where she was a crucial advocate for establishing a new Best Buddies chapter. Thanks to Emma and the thousands of participants in Best Buddies programs across the world, students and adults with IDD (Down syndrome, Autism, Fragile X, Williams syndrome or Cerebral Palsy among others) are able to enjoy amazing mentoring friendships with their peers, find integrated employment opportunities, and develop leadership and advocacy skills.
In the story below, Lamothe describes her experience volunteering with the organization and how it has changed her life for the better.
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Keston and I love to do the types of things most people our age do with their friends – hang out, listen to Lady GaGa and talk about our favorite TV shows. The fact that he has Autism doesn’t define or impact our relationship. In fact, it just makes our bond stronger. Two years ago, Keston and I met through Best Buddies International – an organization that matches, students with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in friendships. I volunteered to mentor students with IDD and help improve their lives, but I never expected those students would have such an enormous impact on my life as well.
Our friendship formed slowly but was fated to be great. Keston took a while to warm up to me since he did not have many friends at our high school. We started spending time together in a group doing school chapter activities and also on our own after school, and after a while I discovered we had similar friendly, outgoing personalities. We grew close and developed a language and communication style all our own.
Keston and I don’t go to the same school anymore, but we still see each other when we can. I recently paid him a surprise visit and as soon as he saw me, he was overcome with excitement and joy. I knew we had a unique bond, but it wasn’t until that moment I realized I too was overcome with joy and excitement.
I am inspired every day by the friendships I have made through Best Buddies International. My friends with intellectual disabilities have all empowered me to work harder and to persevere through obstacles that I encounter each and every day. They have showed me that I can accomplish whatever I put my mind to, and I can do that with a smile on my face and a light in my eyes.
I am so excited that Best Buddies International has partnered with ALEX AND ANI through the new Arrows of Friendship Charm Bangle as part of their CHARITY BY DESIGN collection. This will truly help spread our mission of inclusion and help provide resources to expand the work of Best Buddies International. There are thousands of students and adults with and without IDD across the country who have not had the opportunity I’ve had to make these strong friendships. Hopefully one day soon we can offer all of these people the opportunity to join Best Buddies International and have their lives forever changed and enriched by the organization.
