One-to-One Friendship

“My name is Robert Anglin and I am a senior from the Henderson Inclusion K-12 School in Dorchester. When I first got introduced to Best Buddies, I was a young 13-year-old boy who had no clue about the impact Best Buddies has not only had in my school and my community, but also around the world. What influenced me to join Best Buddies was my passion to see everyone be included no matter their appearance or their ability.

Liam and I have had an amazing friendship for more than nine years now and our friendship has been getting stronger by the day. Before becoming matched through Best Buddies, Liam and I were classmates at the Henderson Inclusion School. At first, surprisingly, we actually didn’t get along, but after a while realized that Liam and I had more things in common than we do that are different, like sports and video games.”

Liam: “We both love baseball, but I am way better because I’ve been playing for longer. In Middle School we both joined Best Buddies and became a buddy pair in 8th grade. We love to hang out and play soccer, video games, and are planning a road trip to Maine. We were co-captains for the soccer team last year and are now co-presidents in Best Buddies.”

“My goal as president of the Best Buddies chapter at my school is making sure that all of my friends are included in activities and making sure that everyone feels welcomed when they walk into the room. Best Buddies has been one of the most amazing things I have been a part of at my school. Even though we were classmates for a long time, once we joined Best Buddies, we were able to build a more meaningful friendship outside of the classroom. Now, our friendship is a lot stronger because we get to do so many things together. My Best Buddies experience has shaped me into a more welcoming and inclusive person, and has made me more open-minded to people that are different than me.”

Liam: “Even when Robert graduates, I know that we will continue to be great friends.”