Hauser Jr. High School recently received the Best Buddies Illinois Rookie Chapter of the Year award for the 2018-2019 school year. Hauser received this honorable recognition for their ability to bring the Best Buddies mission to life within the walls of their school and also outside in the surrounding community.
The school generated sincere student interest for their Best Buddies program this past year with 60 total members and 7 buddy pairs. They host fun social events for their members each month and the group’s advisors also give out buddy pair tips that allow their students to make plans with their buddies outside of school hours, in order to continue to foster their friendship.
Riverside Township is pleased to have awarded grants to Best Buddies International over the past two years. Such funding has gone to support the current program at Riverside Brookfield High School, and was also instrumental in the founding last fall of the new, award-winning chapter at Hauser Jr. High School. Further use of grant funds from the Township will be funneled into the development of new local chapters at Central, Ames, Hollywood, and Blythe Park elementary schools.
On April 11th, the Hauser chapter of Best Buddies showcased their mission to the community by holding their own local Friendship Walk throughout downtown Riverside. At the end of their walk, they delivered donated food items to the Riverside Township Food Pantry. Hauser Jr. High School is a big supporter of the Food Pantry. Best Buddies, and other school organizations, deliver cases of canned food to the pantry monthly.
Pictured above: Members of Hauser’s Best Buddies chapter gather in front of the Riverside Town Hall after dropping off donated food items.