The Arc of Hunterdon's Best Buds Club donated over a 100 brand new stuffed animals to the pediatric unit at Hunterdon Medical Center. Leanne Schoberl of Milford, brought the idea to the club because she has been in hospitals over the years and was always comforted by her favorite stuffed animal. Many of the participants in the Best Buds Club have also been in and out of hospitals and thought the idea was a great service project. The group adopted the project and worked together to write letters to Toys R' Us and collect brand new stuffed animals to donate to Hunterdon Medical Center.
TheBest BudsClub has been in existencefor almost 10 years. It was formed so that social connections could be made fora group ofvery independent adults with disabilities. Club members are very involved in community-related projects. According to Patti Johnsen, the advisor for the club, "Some of the projects include adopting a soldier in which the group writes weekly letters and sends monthly care packages to a soldier. When the soldier returns home, another soldier is adopted. We collect old cell phones so that they may be recycled in an environmentally friendly way instead of sitting in a landfill for years. We receive $1.00 for each phone. That money is used to make a donation to a charity of their choice. They have made donations to theTsunami Relief Fund,Special Olympics,Market Street Mission, Wounded Warrior Program, and this year, to United Way. The group has collected food items for NORWESCAP and created holiday cards for residents at Independence Manor, where the group meets monthly."
In 2007, theBest Buds Club was awarded the Ted KaplanExemplary Recreation Group Award,issued by the state of New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. This award isbestowed to a recreation group, club or sports team (with two or more individuals with disabilities) that implements a unique team activity or activities to enhance the leisure lifestyle of individuals with disabilities through recreation or sports activities.
To learn more about the Best Buds Club call the Arc of Hunterdon County at 908-730-7827.
Caption:
The Best Buds Club delivered over 100 stuffed animals for the pediatric patients at Hunterdon Medical Center. Pictured: Back row seated left to right: Nick Loalbo of Clinton Township, Donald Allen of Milford, Karen Bruno of Flemington, Laurie Mardis of Flemington, Mike Benson of Palmer Township, PA. Front row left to right: Katie House of Frenchtown, Leanne Schoberl of Milford, Susan Bolig of Clinton and Katie McGee of Hopewell.
For more information, contact:
Hunterdon Medical Center
2100 Wescott Drive
Flemington, NJ 08822