By Tyah Davis
This school year, G.L.U.E Initiative has created a unique project just for our Annex Angels. In November they started a bonding program called Lunch Buddies. Every Thursday and Friday, during both lunch shifts, members from the club join the Angels to eat and spend quality time with them. “We came up with this project with the goal to enhance the friendship between the G.L.U.E. members and the special needs students,” states President, Landry Tippett. “This gives our members the chance to get more personal and intimate with the students so that all of the students are familiar with each other.”
Members are excited for their lunch period to make sure they put a smile on our Angels faces. “I joined this club to be able to help my challenged peers feel like they aren’t alone,” states Jordan McHenry, a member of the G.L.U.E. Initiative. “I’ve made many new friendships that I never expected.”
For other members, they also have the opportunity to have quality time with their own family. Adriana Lam has a little brother, Dawson, who is an Angel talks about what Lunch Buddies have impacted on her. “Even though we live together , not being able to see him at school affects me because I am my brother’s keeper.” Lam states “Having the chance to spend time with him at school makes me know that he’s okay and comfortable.”
The impact doesn’t just affect the students but also the Angels’ teachers. Mrs. Johnson expresses her thoughts about the idea of the project. “I love the idea because it allows our regular education students to know and work with our special needs students .” Johnson states. “ My class in particular has many students with autism and they range in different categories of how they are learning … so with the chance of more students coming in can help them get more motivated in class and help them get better.”
With the success of Lunch Buddies in November, G.L.U.E. has decided to keep this special project going, showing that no disability can stop people from building connections with each other.