In March, Archbishop Carroll’s Best Buddies club members participated in the annual Friendship Walk at the King of Prussia mall. The event attracted hundreds of participants from all over Pennsylvania to raise awareness about and support for individuals with disabilities.
Carroll’s Best Buddies group includes students from Carroll and from St. Katherine’s School, which is an Archdiocese of Philadelphia high school that operates inside the Carroll building for teens with intellectual disabilities. Members of the organization who participated in the King of Prussia event said it was more than just a walk.
“I remember walking into the mall and seeing hundreds of people there,” said junior Francis Pham, a Carroll student. “I was astounded that so many people supported Best Buddies throughout Pennsylvania. It gave me perspective as to how large the organization had grown. Seeing so many people advocating for people with mental disabilities inspired me. The walk itself felt like a protest of kindness. We marched around the mall publicly displaying our objective.”
In addition to being inspirational and a public display of support for those with disabilities, the walk also was just plain fun.
“By far the most enjoyable portion of the walk was the walk itself,” one participant shared. “I had a lot of fun walking around with all my friends in Best Buddies and seeing others doing the same. The walk was a unifying force for us as we got to share our common purpose.”
Some of the best moments were totally unexpected.
“I will never forget the times that random onlookers watched us and cheered us on,” Pham recalled. “This showed that the walk worked because people were supporting Best Buddies. Instead of questioning our purpose walking around the mall en masse, they offered their support.”
