Best Buddies, founded in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver, is an international non-profit organization “dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”

Although there are almost 1,500 middle school, high school and college chapters within the U.S., Creighton University is home to the only collegiate chapter in Nebraska. Creighton’s group has about 40 student participants, including the executive team.

Arts & Sciences freshman Courtney Kern explained that she joined Best Buddies without any prior knowledge of the organization and loves it.

“I saw Best Buddies on the mall at the involvement fair in the fall,” Kern said. “I knew nothing about it, but I love service and people, so I thought I might as well join. I fell in love with Best Buddies, and my buddy has been awesome. His name is Gavin, he’s 18 years old and is a high-functioning autistic. He goes to Nebraska Christian College and is studying ministry there. We both share an active interest in our faith, which I think is why we were paired up.”

Creighton students involved in Best Buddies form friendships with people who have mental disabilities in the Omaha community and participate in fun activities with them twice a month. Students also call their buddies weekly to catch up with them about their week.

“I thought it would be a big time commitment, but it’s really not bad,” Kern said.

Along with participating in social activities, the Creighton Best Buddies group also holds monthly chapter meetings that encourage students to share their experiences with each other, learn more about different disabilities and work to spread awareness about issues such as misusing the words “retard” and “disabled people” in conversation.

To all students interested in service, making friends and learning more about people with disabilities, Kern definitely recommends this organization.

“Best Buddies is a neat way to get to know the community, and it offers a new kind of service for students: hanging out with someone, one on one. It’s a great way to connect with someone who you think is different from you, but really isn’t,” Kern said.