I think, in the end, it will be the children that change the world for the better.
Through innocent eyes, they see the world in more color than we, as adults, can imagine.
One young Indiana girl is determined to make the world a better place for others. What better way to fix it, she thought, then help others make friends.
Sammie Vance, now 14, told People Magazine, she was asked “what breaks your heart?”
Her answer, “… it’s seeing people who need a friend.”
In 2017, while attending Bible camp, she learned about ‘buddy benches’. Originally created by three young boys, the benches are placed in school playgrounds. If a child is feeling lonely, they can sit there and other kids will know that child needs a friend.
Sammie Vance sits on a Buddy Bench that she helped get made for her school. Photo courtesy of Sammie’s Buddy Bench Project
“I thought it was just a really good idea. I mean, especially at the time, I had been lonely myself,” Sammie said. “And obviously, that was not a good feeling.”
I didn’t want anyone else to feel that way.”
She asked her mom if the buddy bench would be something they could get for her school. Heidi Vance began to look into it for her daughter. What they found was that if Sammie could collect plastic bottle caps, a local company would recycle them and create a bench.
Sammie jumped into action, getting her school and others in the community to donate. After collecting 1,600 pounds of caps, she found out she had enough for three benches. She found two other schools get benches with the extra caps.
“It’s nerve-wracking to go up to someone and ask them to play,” Sammie said, “because you don’t know what they’re going to say. When you sit on the Buddy Bench, it’s easy to notice that someone is sitting there. When other people know what it’s used for it’s easier because you know that someone is going to come and play with you.”
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Her efforts got her noticed by the Today show. While she was on-air, the hosts told her that all Walgreen stores in Indiana would help collect caps for benches around the state. As of now, more than 15,000 pounds of caps have lead to 75 benches being made and put in schools.
Through a partnership with UPS, Sammie was put in a commercial and the logistics company helped her send benches to more than 13 communities around the United States.
Even now, she is still helping others. Sammie has collected enough caps to install the buddy benches at parks in her hometown of Fort Wayne.
Sammie Vance with the book she wrote to help teach others how to change the world for the better. Photo courtesy of Sammie’s Buddy Bench Project
Sammie has also written a book called “Inspire the World: A Kid’s Journey to Making a Difference.”
Through it all, her goal has been to help others.
Sammie has continued to reach out to her community. She produces a podcast, ‘Sammie Smiles’, where she interviews people who “inspire me and makes me smile,” she said.
“I just look forward to making a difference,” Sammie said, “and inspiring other people to make a difference.”
For a look at the buddy bench program and to hear from this amazing young girl, watch below.
