In South Africa, "I see you" is used as a greeting. For volunteers at the service organization Best Buddies, it's a mission statement.
"We use it to say that we see someone as a person, as a co-worker, as an equal," said history and Plan I honors senior Liam O'Rourke, former director of the program's UT chapter. "'I see you' moments make you see people differently. You see them for who they are instead of for what people say they are."
The goal of Best Buddies is to forge friendships between volunteers and mentally retarded adults who might otherwise be isolated. The UT chapter of the program received an Outstanding Chapter Award at the Best Buddies International Leadership Conference, held July 18-21 in Indiana.
The UT chapter is one of the top 18 college chapters out of more than 400 that were eligible to apply and were recognized for "exceeding their mission by developing stellar one-to-one friendships and increasing their visibility in the community," said Megan Peet, Texas program supervisor.
"Some of the college buddies were terrified and nervous about being friends with individuals with intellectual disabilities," said Lisa Newhouse, program director and sociology and Plan I honors senior. "I got to see them come to realize that it was just like being friends with anyone else."
Volunteers spend one-on-one time with their buddies at least twice a month and attend group outings to zoos or bowling alleys. In Austin, the UT chapter regularly joins with other local chapters for a day at the park.
"We do the same things you do day to day," O'Rourke said. "We just do it with people who are not usually involved."
O'Rourke has been a member of the organization for eight years, including time on the international board of directors and a current position on the Texas board. He said Best Buddies has been the most meaningful part of his life.
"To us it's just normal stuff, but to them, it's a college student telling them that they're cool, that they're just like everyone else," O'Rourke said. "You don't have to make big plans. You just have to be committed to your buddy. They don't care what you do. They just want you to show up."
Peet said one of the most memorable moments of the program she remembers was the first time a volunteer called his buddy and the buddy's mom picked up the phone.
"She teared up," Peet said. "It was the first time he had ever gotten a phone call from someone outside the family."
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