Seniors charter Best Buddies chapter with Capstone Senior project

Three University of Richmond seniors used their Capstone Senior project as a means to bring Best Buddies to campus this semester. 

Best Buddies is an international organization, founded in 1989 by Anthony Shriver, that “creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships…for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” according to its website.

Seniors Dana Manheim, Ally Gore and Alejandra Garcia-Narvaez decided they wanted to “do something that would make a difference and that would stay with the university following their graduation,” Gore said.

Instead of the typical senior thesis paper or documentary, they decided to explore a project to exemplify their health care and society interests and also benefit the Richmond community.

“At first we were going to complete a club called ‘Kids' for children with Down syndrome, but then we came across Best Buddies,” Gore said. After talking with a national representative, the students learned of the need for a Best Buddies program within Richmond.

Other Virginia universities such as University of Virginia and George Mason University have a Best Buddies chapter, but Virginia Commonwealth University, and the Richmond area, does not.

Charles Frydenborg, a Best Buddies representative for Virginia had been trying for more than a year to open a chapter in Virginia. “Frydenborg was so excited that we are talking to three different Richmond organizations, including the Virginia Home, that are interested in pairing disabled buddies,” Manheim said.

Students, in addition to the Richmond organizations, have shown their high interest in Best Buddies. There are currently 29 students signed up for the program, Gore said.

“I think it’s important for students to think about others, apart from themselves. We are all so busy and focused on ourselves during the week that it’ll be good to give back to the community of Richmond,” said Samantha Mocciaro, a sophomore Best Buddies member.

There are two different types of members that the campus organization offers, which helped peak student interest, Gore and Manheim said. One kind of buddy is paired with a disabled peer. The other type of buddy attends meetings and helps plan Best Buddies events in correspondence with the pending executive team.

Paired buddies will meet every other week and attend larger events planned by the senior mentors.

“It’s nice that it’s a low time commitment," Mocciaro said. "Even if you choose to be paired with a buddy, you are taking minimal time out of your weekend to do something good."

Applications assessing personal information and interests of Richmond Buddies were due Feb. 27 and were reviewed Sunday by Manheim, Gore and Garcia-Narvaez.

“We officially have 66 members and 9 leadership positions available with the successors, yet to be determined,” Garcia-Narvaez said.

The pairing won’t be random; student buddies can express what types of activities they are interested in doing with their buddy and vise versa, Manheim said. The mentally disabled members will be around post-high school graduate age. Activity options vary from going to Sweet Frog to horseback riding with buddies.

Larger Best Buddies fundraising activities will be planned twice a semester for Richmond’s program. A 5K race in April is being planned to boost funding and promote Best Buddies, Manheim and Gore said.

Contact Advertising Manager Holly Speck at holly.speck@richmond.edu