At Shadow Ridge, the Best Buddies Club strives to help students with intellectual and developmental disabilities feel more at place within the school and the events held through Best Buddies allow them to connect with peers.

The members of this club, along with their buddies, host fundraisers and fun activities to better their connections with members, allowing them to further strengthen the bond between each member and their buddies. These fundraisers are also a way to help buddies develop and nurture their social skills while giving back to the student body.

Best Buddies Club Advisor Precious Nebab states, “It is not what you gather but what you scatter, as in it isn’t what you’re given but instead what you give.”

It isn’t about what one gets when being a member of this club, instead, it’s about showing buddies a good, fun, and pleasurable time while at school. However, the club isn’t just about having fun but they also help buddies get out of their comfort zones and get them to experience new things to best prepare them for the future. The members and advisor of this club aim to create a warm and inclusive environment for buddies to ensure they’re still getting a hands-on education while here at school.

Nebab notes, “The events in Best Buddies are matchmaking, Halloween, holiday, Valentine’s, and Easter parties, and Prom.”

So far, the club has 25 hard-working members and 15 just as hard-working buddies. Though the club has a good amount of members, this doesn’t negate the fact that they are still open and welcome new and diligent members to come and join their club.

Joining this club may be a great new experience, giving students a new point of view on other people’s lives and helping spread awareness to fellow students. Associating with people whose lives are unlike one’s own tends to open their minds to new things and get them out of their comfort zones.

Becoming a member of the Best Buddies Club is easy. All someone has to do is go over to room 210 after school on a Monday and Ms. Nebab, the club advisor, will ask for their information such as name, email, phone number, and schedule so that they will be able to be excused from classes whenever they are needed to help out with fundraisers.

Camryn Lumada-Williams, senior, explains, “Pretty much all you have to do is show up on Monday at room 210 and we will recruit you. Afterwards, we’ll give you a rundown of what you are going to do and we will pair you up with a buddy.”