(Fort Wayne, IN) – Sammie Vance was just eight when she heard about the Buddy Bench and vacation Bible school. She brought the idea to her mom, Heidi, and her elementary school principal.

If a child sits on a Buddy Bench, it’s a signal to others that they want someone to play with. Sammie knows what it’s like to be lonely or shy.

“…I didn’t want anyone else to feel this way. And I wanted to make sure that everyone has a friend.”

Following the meeting, Sammie and her mom discovered a new bench would cost $900. The project was too expensive to pull off until it was discovered a local company could make the bench out of recycled materials for a quarter of the cost.

Sammie started collection of plastic bottle caps and lids. These materials would go into making new Buddy Benches.

Sammie is now 12. She has helped install three benches at her school and 150 benches across the country. And has a book coming out in the fall.