Best Buddies, a new club at Eisenhower this year, is a club that encourages friendship between students who have a disability, and students without a disability. All students from grades seven to twelve are encouraged to join. Meetings are held once a month to help create personal relationships between the students, and include field trips to places like the Harley Davidson Museum and the symphony.
Best Buddies is an international organization started by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1989. The program was unable to be introduced at Eisenhower until the fall of the 2009-2010 school year because of low funds. Mrs. Sherry Wilde and Mr. John Kamps, advisors to the Eisenhower chapter, raised money at the Footsteps for Friendship Best Buddies walk, held at the Milwaukee County Zoo.
“This program provides an excellent opportunity for students to co-mingle and collaborate ideas and attend activities with students they don't normally see during the day or week,” said Mr. John Kamps, who has been assisting disabled students since working in Milwaukee in the early 1980’s. “I feel that the Best Buddies program is an adventure for the students to associate with other kids from school.”
Strengthening the friendship relationship, and applying that friendship in the school environment is the ultimate goal of the Best Buddies program.
Still in the beginning stages of development, the Best Buddies program recently held interviews for officer positions and are in the midst of getting organized for the second semester. Monthly social activities are scheduled for members. A trip to the Harley-Davidson museum was recently organized, and members will be decorating a Harley Pig, which will be displayed at the Milwaukee Museum.
Members of the Best Buddies group will be attending the Symphony at the
end of January, and more events will follow.
“Even with the few meetings and get-togethers that we have had, the
students are very excited to meet new friends,” says advisor Mrs. Sherry
Wilde.