If you have never heard of Best Buddies, you are missing out. Best Buddies International is a non-profit organization whose goal is to create friendships and social connections with people within a community who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. The organization was founded in 1989 and now has more than 1,500 chapters internationally. Best Buddies commonly has chapters at college, high school, and even middle school campuses. Best Buddies has a global mission to not only create friendships but to end the stigma around people with disabilities as well.

So, with that being said, why should you join Best Buddies?

1. You will make new friends.

Best Buddies is a great organization to join if you want to make new friends because friendship is what Best Buddies is all about! You will create friendships with your fellow peers as well as the buddies. If you choose to become what is called a "peer buddy", you will be matched up to a one on one friendship with someone who has an intellectual disability or developmental disability. Regardless if you are a peer buddy or not, you are almost guaranteed to make new friends of all kinds when you join this organization.

2. You will learn more about disabilities.

For me, gaining more knowledge by having some first-hand experience was a large factor in my joining of Best Buddies, as I would like to become a special education teacher. By becoming a friend to someone with an ID or DD, you not only gain a great friend, but you consequently gain great and useful knowledge about people with disabilities.

3. You will positively impact someone's life.

There is no better feeling than being a friend to someone who is in need of one. You become a shoulder to cry on, a source of laughter, and more importantly, a friend, and that is one of the most important impacts you can possibly have on someone's life. You can have a life-changing impact on another person by simply joining a club.

4. Your life will be positively impacted

Being a member of Best Buddies has certainly impacted my life in a positive way. I am a part of something bigger than myself. Best Buddies has also taught me a lot of things, all of which are positive. I have learned that we are all more alike than we are different, and more people would realize this is they took the time to become a part of Best Buddies.

5. The events are so great.

The events that the Best Buddies chapters host are fun ways to get involved and hang out with the whole club. Events typically happen at least once a month. Events can include things like Halloween parties, with costumes and snacks, or a Thanksgiving Dinner party, with an awesome pitch-in dinner and talking about what we have to be thankful for. These are just a couple of examples from what my particular chapter has done. No matter what the event is, it is always great to hang out with everyone and a fun way to spend a few hours.

6. It's a great way to be involved in your community.

Best Buddies is often considered to be a form of "volunteering". However, if you ask anyone who is involved in Best Buddies, they would tell you that it is anything but. Best Buddies is just fun a way of interacting with a community of people that you otherwise may not have the opportunity to.

I hope that this has encouraged anyone reading to become a member of Best Buddies or to look into a Best Buddies chapter near them. As mentioned before, there are over 1,500, so it is very possible that there is one near you! Best Buddies is a great way to create a friendship, as well as help the Best Buddies organization with their mission, which is to integrate people with ID and DD into a more welcoming society. After all, we are all more alike than we are different.