Looking for a new club or organization to join here on the Hill? Consider becoming a member of McDaniel’s Best Buddies chapter! Best Buddies is an international organization dedicated to establishing one-on-one friendships and inclusive living for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. At McDaniel specifically, the mission of our Best Buddies chapter is to connect students and members of the Carroll County community that have intellectual or developmental differences.
This club is a welcoming space and a great way to get involved with some individuals off-campus, in the community. They meet monthly for two hours and students have the choice to be paired with a buddy to form a one-on-one relationship. Knowing that students have busy schedules, our chapter gives students a choice in their level of involvement. The goal of these personal pairs is that the student reaches out once or twice a month in between meetings to foster your friendship.
Our chapter recently hosted an event last Feb., a Best Buddies Palentines Day Party. Students from McDaniel and some buddies from campus and the community played games, ate snacks, spent quality time together, and danced the day away. As you can see from the picture, this event is filled with lots of smiling faces. You could be included too!
If you are interested in getting involved, our most recent event was a scavenger hunt on March 25th from 4-6 p.m. Some other activities and updates will be posted on the Instagram page @mcdanielbestbuddies. Looking ahead, the April event will be celebrating Earth Day together on April 22nd. McDaniel Best Buddies would love for you to get involved. Everyone is welcome, even if you just want to stop by and see what it is like!
McDaniels current chapter president is Lyla Martin and she would love to talk to anyone who has any questions. Feel free to contact her at lrm0100@mcdaniel.edu
