‘Buddy Bench’ contest open for tri-county area

Fair Housing Resource Center calling for community to nominate schools

Fair Housing Resource Center, Inc. is calling on the community to nominate their local school for the chance to win a “Buddy Bench .”

Fair Housing Resource Center, Inc. is once again calling on students, parents, grandparents and community members to nominate their local school for the opportunity to win a free “Buddy Bench.”

A Buddy Bench is just that, a structure where students can sit and socialize on school grounds, and conceived as a simple concept in promoting friendship, diversity, inclusion, and kindness.

According to the center, during recess, some students have difficulty making friends or fostering relationships with their fellow peers. The Buddy Bench allows students who do not have friends, are shy or are new to the school to sit on the bench in hopes that other students will see and allow them to join in their play.

The bench also aims to help students discover new friends, be included in playful activities and helps in deterring loneliness and bullying.

Participants can fill out the questionnaire at www. surveymonkey.com/r/NominateUrSchool or follow the link on Fair Housing’s website with personal information, the name of the school and a short statement explaining why a local school needs a Buddy Bench for its playground.

The agency will be giving away a total of three benches, one each for Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties. Each bench will be engraved with the winning school’s name.

Fair Housing also delivers the benches to the schools personally and offers financial assistance with the cost of installation, if needed.

The schools with the most nominations in each county will win. Nominations will end on April 30.

The initiative, in its second year, is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“This was such a fun contest that Fair Housing wanted to repeat it again this year during April, which is Fair Housing Month,” said Executive Director Patricia Kidd. “Last year, we wanted to do a small presentation ceremony with the winner’s school and the issuance of the awards, however COVID-19 ruined it due to the schools being closed.”

Fair Housing will announce the winning schools on Facebook and contact the principals of the winning schools.

Last year’s winners were Longfellow Elementary School in Lake County; Chardon Middle School in Geauga County; and Austinburg Elementary School in Ashtabula County.

No creativity from the students or the community is needed, Kidd noted.

“The most votes per school wins,” she said. “The form is basic and simple to complete to nominate a school. We encourage all to take part.”

Fair Housing Resource Center is a nonprofit organization that offers several housing programs that benefit residents of Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties. Its mission is to promote equal housing opportunities for all people and to advocate for fair housing and diversity in Lake County and surrounding communities through the education and involvement of the public, the governments, and the business community.