Buddy Benches Installed on Lutheran Hospital Campus
7/25/2022
Lutheran Hospital’s campus recently joined the growing list of Buddy Bench locations, installing two benches to provide a safe space for young people and a memorial to everyone affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The benches made from recycled plastic caps were placed in greenspace outside of Medical Office Building One adjacent to the south parking garage on the campus, where a team from Lutheran Hospital is hoping to develop a garden area for patients, their families and staff to enjoy a reflective moment outside.
“During the planning process for the garden, we began searching for bench options and found information on Sammie’s Buddy Bench Project,” said Tammy Else, certified child life specialist and family support service manager for Lutheran Children’s Hospital. “It seemed like a natural partnership, so we reached out to Sammie Vance and her family and started the cap collection for the project.”
Sammie’s Buddy Bench Project was started locally by Vance, 13, about five years ago when she learned about playground benches designated for shy or lonely children to sit as an unspoken signal they are looking for a friend. She began the project by bringing one to her own school and it evolved from school playgrounds to public parks, businesses and even retirement communities. Vance said she’s helped see more than 250 projects to completion around the globe, including about 65 benches in the Fort Wayne area.
“It’s not just kids using Buddy Benches,” said Vance. “These projects have helped grow and connect our community so everyone can hear the message of being a good friend and spreading kindness.”
Staff throughout Lutheran Hospital began collecting caps for the Buddy Benches in August 2021. After six months, enough had been collected to get two benches for the hospital garden space from Green Tree Plastics in Evansville. About 200 extra pounds of plastic caps were donated to Sammie’s collection efforts, which will be used for projects currently underway at Georgetown Square, Buckner Park and a Citilink location yet to be determined.
Both Lutheran benches were engraved – one with “LCH Treehouse Buddy Bench 2022” to recognize the Lutheran Children’s Hospital’s efforts to bring the benches to the hospital campus and the other with “We Remember” to commemorate the project’s efforts carried out in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and acknowledge the loss experienced by patients and staff, Else said.
“Our goal is to have a beautiful, peaceful and safe area for patients of all ages to visit and maybe make a new friend,” she said.
Visit lutheranhospital.com for more information on the location and services and sammiesbuddybenchproject.com for details on Vance's local Buddy Bench project.
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