Pam Fischer went to Disneyland with her daughter 10 years ago, where she was assaulted by Captain Hook ... or so she thought. Since the people under the costumes are not allowed to talk, the man playing Captain Hook was trying to get her attention in the only other way he could. When he realized she did not understand what he was trying to tell her, he grabbed a sheet of paper and wrote, "I'm a Best Buddy too."
Only then did Fischer, the University's Best Buddies host site coordinator, realize she was wearing her Best Buddies t-shirt, which featured the organization's logo.
"It was really rewarding to see people connect with that," Fischer said. "It's neat to see how big this organization has become."
Best Buddies, founded in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver, hopes to enrich the lives of those with intellectual disabilities by helping them form meaningful friendships.
"They wanted to take [helping the physically disabled] beyond the Special Olympics and sports events to friendship," Fischer said. Shriver "had a disabled member in his family and knew the benefits of them having regular friendships in the community, outside of the people who are care providers."
Fischer graduated from the University with a degree in Special Education and now works with Region 10 Community Services, the agency Best Buddies contacted back in 1989.
"U.Va. was lucky to be one of the first chapters," Fischer said.
The University's chapter has expanded greatly since its inception, and Fischer said the community's interest in Best Buddies is astounding.
"Folks line up to get buddies," Fischer said. For many of those with intellectual disabilities, "it's work or school and then back home, so they don't have a lot of opportunity to make friends."
In addition, Fischer said that University students who work with Best Buddies also benefit from the program.
"Charlottesville is a very welcoming community and so is the University," Fischer said. "So it's a very good pairing."
Third-year College student and the University's Best Buddies coordinator Ivy Goldberg agrees.
"I met my buddy, Beth, last year," Goldberg said. "I was late to a group event and [Beth] was calling my cell, begging me to come. And when I came to the window, she just jumped out of her seat saying, 'Ivy's here!'"
That, according to Goldberg, was her "I see you" moment, a Best Buddies phrase referring to seeing someone as an individual and for who they really are.
Goldberg spent this past summer in Indiana at a Best Buddies leadership conference. She said she learned about recruiting, helping make matches for Best Buddies and supervising the entire chapter.
The University's Best Buddies chapter has group meetings about once a month, and students are in contact with their buddy on a weekly basis.
"I've seen a lot of really long-lasting friendships develop," Fischer said. "The sheer volume of people that want to be in the program speaks for itself."
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