Every seven minutes a child is bullied, according to an estimate by the U.S. Department of Justice. American Factory Direct wants to promote inclusion, we do not want our neighboring schools to be a statistic. The Buddy Bench is a simple idea to eliminate loneliness and foster friendships on the playground. The purpose of the Bench is for any child that feels alone, sad, or left out, to go sit on the buddy bench with the hope that other children will take notice and befriend that child. We hope that by implementing the motto of "Be a Buddy, not a bully" this will encourage children to stand up against bullying in elementary schools.
The history of the Buddy Bench is truly a remarkable story of how one child can make a difference. A first grade student name Christian from Roundtown Elementary started it all. He knew there were some kids at his school who were lonely at recess and thought a special bench could help them make friends. The principal loved the idea and let Christian pick out a bench for his school. The children loved it, and soon the idea was spread across the country. Now, the Buddy Bench has become a symbol of friendship and carries the message that no child should feel alone.
American Factory Direct will donate a Buddy Bench to 4 of our neighboring schools for their playground, and we are giving our community the opportunity to nominate and vote for the top schools!
September 1-30th all nominations will be accepted
October 1st-30th the top schools from September will then move to the next round of voting
October 31st the four winning schools will be chosen