#bestbuddys

[poetischewelt]

[soakingwetteeshirt]

[theuiucollegian]

Building Bridges through Best Buddies

Written by: Maria Winter, UIU Collegian Staff

Everyone deserves to feel included, loved, and respected. Best Buddies is an international nonprofit organization that is “dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development, inclusive living, and family support for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”  

Here at Upper Iowa University (UIU), the student-led chapter of Best Buddies strives to help the people in and around the Fayette community feel this acceptance. Every month, the club holds one or two events to connect students with people in the community who have intellectual or developmental disabilities.  Best Buddies at UIU partners with Full Circle, which is an organization in West Union that focuses on helping people with these disabilities live independently. Best Buddies often volunteer at events held by Full Circle, such as scavenger hunts and carnivals! 

Kailey Porter is a sophomore at UIU, and an active member of Best Buddies. The mission of the club has a special place in her heart, as her younger brother Grant was diagnosed with ATRX (Alpha thalassemia mental retardation X-linked syndrome) at a very early age. This is an extremely rare genetic disorder that affects multiple organ systems of the human body, and there are only a few hundred known cases in the medical world at this time. Because of ATRX, Grant is unable to walk or talk, and he also has underlying health conditions because of the effects of the condition.  

Kailey has been an integral part of Grant’s life from day one and has gone along to his doctor’s appointments starting in first grade. Like any big sister does, she also acted as a babysitter for Grant when her parents were away. However, unlike typical older siblings’ duty, Kailey was knowledgeable on level caretaking skills, such as learning how to give Grant his medications (which she learned to do at age 9), how to properly transport him, safely clean and feed him, etc. Throughout it all, Kailey has unconditionally and fiercely loved her brother, just as any sister would. 

I asked Kailey what message she would want the world to know about Grant – and she replied with “He is like any other kid. He understands everything and what people say to him, he’s just not able to verbalize his thoughts.”

So often, we avoid situations or interactions that we may be unknowledgeable about or uncomfortable around, just because they are new. But our lack of comfort is an absolutely unjustifiable excuse to treat people who are a little different than ourselves in a way that excludes them. Kailey said that “even though Grant cannot verbally communicate his thoughts, he should still be treated just as any other little kid and given the amount of respect and care that other children receive.”  

Best Buddies provides the opportunity for students to make that connection with people in our community who have disabilities and work to bridge the gap to inclusion. For Kailey, Best Buddies is a place where she can use her life experience and help her “buddies” on another level – she is able to know when things are actually wrong, when something is needed, or just simply have a normal conversation.

For others in the club, it is a place where they are growing their circle of inclusion for the first time and seeing how truly amazing a connected community can be.  

Martha Pace is the president of UIU’s Best Buddies chapter and has been for the past several years. According to her, the mission of the chapter is to “spread inclusion and form lasting friendships with members of the IDD (intellectually and developmentally disabled) community.” That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?

At the end of the day, here at UIU and past campus lines, we want to live in an interconnected, supported, and engaged community where everyone feels valued, respected, and loved.  

[greentypewriters]

so excited for the steam summer sale so i can finally play fear and hunger

[agerechococat]

ehehjehe ,,, aki n roro ,,,, bestbuddies :33

💕|🎨|🧸 🎨|💗|🎨 🧸|🎨|💕

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[buckleydiaz]

my biggest wish is another episode like buck bothered bewildered where we see buck from eddie's perspective. does he get jealous, possessive when buck gets flirted with on calls? does he know why? is he that perfect hero ray of sunshine to him too? let me seee

yes yes i need them to crack eddie’s head open like an egg and show me what’s inside. how is it that he’s so normal about everything and everyone except his dead ex wife shannon and his bestbuddy buck. i need to knowww

[rainbow-nerdss]

blackout

9-1-1, Buddie fic

Rated E No Archive Warnings Apply 3.4k words Based on this post by @bestbuddie and the addition by @cinematics123

Summary:

Buck wakes up hungover on Eddie's couch, with no memory of the night before. Eddie's at just as much of a loss as he is, but their friends seem to know something they don't.

Read it on AO3

[elgascreamslikehell]

Something something Sunday

I said i finish till Sunday so i finished!

So here is the last (very small and totally spoiler) sneak peek.

‘Maddie, I need your help. I know you have a day off today so you should be able to help!!!’, - Eddie is at work and Buck seats ner Chris and basically screams to the phone ‘Good morning to you, Evan. Yes, I have a day off, so I just woke up. What do you need me for?’, - she yawns ‘Well. We are going to the store and we need your advice…’ ‘Oh, so we're going shopping! Nice! Can I take Jee?’ ‘Yes. Just. Don't tell anyone.’ She pauses ‘Which store exactly are we going to?’ ‘You'll see’ She hears Chris giggling on the background and stops asking ‘Right. Then we'll get ready and wait for you’

And, basically, the whole story on ao3

And taglist!

@pirrusstuff @steadfastsaturnsrings @fionaswhvre @idealuk @blackberry-l @littleblackraincloudofcourse @embarrassingggggg @bestbuddie @kaseysgirl86-blog @angryangeldreamsalad @almurg @coatedpanda16 @charleyk @gloriouspomegranategrecian @teayourtea @still--not--over--merlin

[watchyourbuck]

Tease Tidbit Tuesday ⋆✿°

tagged by the amazing @theotherbuckley @jeeyuns @jamespearce9-1-1 @daffi-990 @disasterbuckdiaz @wikiangela @hippolotamus @fionaswhvre @lover-of-mine & @wildlife4life thank you all!✨💗

i haven’t had the time to write a whole bunch, but here’s a lil snippet from the third chapter of murder husbands!!

“Let me,” Eddie said, turning to his side. He grabbed the gun and placed it on his lap before reaching across the gear shift to re-strap Buck. His fingers brushed against his thigh, where Buck had lifted his leg so Eddie could go under. “That good?” he asked, looking up at him. “Tighter,” Buck ordered, his eyes on the road. Eddie complied, pulling harder on it. The action forced a low grunt out of him, to which Buck chortled. “Good boy.”

──⋆⋅☆⋅⋆──

tags💗 @eddiebabygirldiaz @spagheddiediaz @malewifediaz @honestlydarkprincess @honestlyeddie @callmenewbie @housewifebuck @eowon @thewolvesof1998 @eddie---diaz @mattsire @bestbuddie @evanbegins @giddyupbuck @cowboydiazes @buckleyobsessed @911-on-abc @butraura and anyone else who’d like to participate!

[blackuigryphonvr]

✨️🎃👻🍂🍁 #ShinyGiratina #BestBuddy #BuddyPokemon #Pokémon #PokemonGO #MyPokemonGoLife #MyPokemonGoCareer AR+ #AugmentedReality #GOsnapshot #NewEngland #Foliage #Autumn #Fall

[kabutoraiger]

but what if... it WAS how it works? #bestbuddies #bugs&humans #peaceandloveonplanetchikyuu

[sunb0rn]

qt ng sebseb namin huehue. grabe yung younger bestbuddies cousins (Nicky and Vanessa) ko parehas may babies na.

[allegoethan]

Proud to be one of AEW's official global ambassadors for their partnership with #BestBuddies. Honored to be a part of this. 🫶

[naritaren]

Wait. Real talk. That bestbuddies thing might actually be useful for me for work.

[elgascreamslikehell]

Fuck it Friday

But fuck is an exclamation.

It's like a last calm piece of intro. I have no idea why I need to have so long intro, maybe because i want it to be logical?? But I'm not logical??

And after I jump to action, arguing and general angst and hurt/comfort.

But. It definitely ends well cause I promised @steadfastsaturnsrings and i can't let this person down!

And note for @teayourtea - someone totally hits this Sam in da face I'm just not really sure who specifically.

Today Buck has a night shift and tomorrow there is a traditional picnic at the Grant-Nash family so the whole 118 should be there. With their ‘loved once’ which means Sam is also invited. Which means he stands at the closet trying to find some shirt appropriate for the event for Buck - his fashion choices are questionable at the very best for Sam's taste. Then he could finish the dinner. He digs through Buck's clothes when he finds a folder under the pile of shirts. That's unusual. And that's probably personal, right? Sam tries to put it back when it falls down, scattering all its contents. Don't look, don't look, don't - he's a lawyer. He knows any evidence found that way cannot be used and anyway Buck most probably just forgot he has something here and anyway it can't be something too personal as long as Buck easily allowed to look through his stuff. Sam's a lawyer, yes, but he is still a little bit curious so if he checks it with one eye only… It's a will. What is really understandable taking into account Evan's work. But it's not his will. It's… Sam's first reaction is to take the phone and call Evan right away. But he stops himself. No. Actually, it's the worst of his ideas. They can have a fight and? It's not worth it. And there's definitely an explanation. Very adequate one.  Buck has a strange bond with this Diaz family though… Maybe there are some changes needed. When Buck is home - everything in its place, dinner is ready and shirts are chosen. And nothing reminds of the will.

Tags!

@pirrusstuff @steadfastsaturnsrings @idealuk @duncley @angryangeldreamsalad @blackberry-l @aspecbuddie @teayourtea @springeden7 @charleyk @lilypads-and-dragonflies @virtualstudent16 @princehattric @dantesrebellion1776 @fionaswhvre @darkrose6578 @thatshroomintheforest @princehattric @pansysgothgf @emprentissgf @bestbuddie @spn20freak