Best Buddies is a new organization developing here on campus looking for student volunteers, and will be having its first informative meeting at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Sept. 22, in UC room 206A.

Best Buddies is a national organization that pairs up students with mentally disabled adults. CDS (Community Developmental Services) on Hannings Lane will help to pair the students up with the adults.

Student volunteers are required to call their buddy at least once a week and participate in an activity with them at least two times a month.

These activities will not necessarily cost money. Walking on the walking track with your buddy is good enough. There will be group parties once every one to two months.

The Best Buddies web site at www.bestbuddies.org explains that it is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities by providing opportunities for one-to-one friendships and integrated employment.

When people with disabilities are unable to attain or maintain a job, it is most often due to an absence of social skills not the inability to perform the work. Best Buddies introduces opporunities to socialize with others.

Anthony K. Shriver founded the organization in 1989. Best Buddies is an international organization with more than 1,000 middle school, high school, and college campuses across the country and internationally.

Their programs reach all 50 states, Canada, Cuba, Egypt, Greece, Ireland, Mexico, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Sweden, with programs developing in Austria, Brazil, Guatemala, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

The national organization plans to be established in all 50 states, with programs in 50 countries and have 500,000 participants worldwide by 2010.

Best Buddies is currently looking for student volunteers, but they also need associate members. Associate members will not have a buddy but will help the organization.

Associate membership is for students who feel they do not have time to be full-time members, or do not feel they would benefit from full-time membership.

Sara Allen, a senior criminal justice major form Alamo, Tenn., is director of this program and Michelle Arant of the Department of Education is the faculty advisor.

Allen said, "This organization is wonderful because it provides these adults with friends who just want to be there as a friend. So many mentally disabled adults spend all their days with either family members or other adults who are paid to take care of them. This organization enables mentally disabled adults to obtain a meaningful one-on-one relationship." Allen explained that in the future they are planning on having a Halloween costume party, making Valentine's cards in February, and holding other activities for the participants to enjoy.

For more information about the Best Buddies program, check out their website at www.bestbuddies.org.

If you are interested in becoming a student volunteer, contact Sara Allen at sarahallen3231@yahoo.com or 587-3231.