By Shelly Helgeson
Last Thursday was a tough one for me. As we continually are opening new Best Buddies chapters in San Francisco, every day seems busier than the last. But, with a visitor from Best Buddies International keeping us in intense meetings all day and then an evening officer meeting at University of San Francisco on my plate, this day was downright chaotic. On top of that, I woke up in the morning with my tonsils feeling like they were the size of golf balls and my body temperature about 100 degrees too high. (Okay, maybe not really that high, but even a slight fever makes me feel delusional so who knows how high my temperature really was.) Needless to say, I was just hoping to make it through the day.
First up were the expansion strategy meetings. They are more exciting than they sound, but not by much. Certainly not exciting enough to make me forget the bubonic plague-like symptoms that were knocking at my door. I made it through the morning okay, but post-lunch was another story. I should have learned from watching The Exorcist that split pea soup is just really never a good idea, but somehow in my feverish state, my muddled mind told me mashed-up peas would be the answer to my prayers. Not so. Really not so . . . okay, moving on.
I knew I had to at least keep it together until after my meeting with the new officer corps at University of San Francisco’s (USF) chapter of Best Buddies. We were meeting at 6:00pm on campus to discuss goals for the upcoming year and to meet the new student leaders. Buddy Director John Coulter was arriving at our office at 5:30pm and I was to drive him over to campus as well. Knowing I was responsible for transporting John to the meeting was really what kept me going. I always enjoy spending time with John. Kately Bollenbacher, the College Buddy Director at USF told me once last year that, “John is always up for anything.” As I’ve gotten to know John better in the last year, I’ve found this statement to be entirely true.
Here is a summary of my work with John Coulter last year:
Me: John, would you like to speak at our Kick-Off Party?
John: Sure!
Me: John, would you like to attend our Buddy Ambassador Workshop where you will write a speech about yourself and work on your presentation skills?
John: Sure!
Me: Hey John, how do you feel about delivering that speech to an audience of 500 at the Best Buddies Friendship Walk in San Francisco?
John: Sure!
And he did it all with incredible enthusiasm, courage and skill!
John arrived at our office and his same upbeat personality I knew from him last year, lifted my spirits and provided the extra-umph I needed to pull through the evening’s meeting.
However, this is not to say our evening was easy by any means! First of all, the San Francisco fog was at its fullest force that night! In fact, it was blowing so hard and so thick that I could barely see 3 feet in front of me. I fought through the city’s evening rush hour traffic with John as my co-pilot, pointing out darkly dressed pedestrians and thrill-seeking motorcyclists so I could do my best to avoid them. We both screamed with worry as I wriggled the car down one of San Francisco’s infamous steep hills and saw a skate boarder take a hard spill right in front us. We stopped to ensure he was okay and learning that he hurt nothing but his pride, finally pulled into the USF parking garage.
Arriving fashionably late, John and I slid into our seats and were promptly introduced to the new corps of officers. I was happy to learn that Krisna Tahija, an international student from Indonesia, is the chapter’s new College Buddy Director. Krisna joined Best Buddies as a freshman at USF last year and was matched with Buddy, John Hammond. They became fast friends and went on to win Outstanding Buddy Pair of the Year for the entire Bay Area. John Hammond was at the meeting too. For the second year in a row, he will serve as Activities Coordinator for the chapter. Laura, Chelsea and Valeria will round out the USF officer corps (all in positions for the first time) and Katelyn returned to lend advice from what she learned leading USF’s chapter last year.
For the two hours I was at the meeting, I completely forgot that I was sick. These types of meetings are truly what make all the strategic planning, paperwork and report writing worthwhile. Talking with this group of energetic and dedicated young adults with and without developmental disabilities is inspiring. There really isn’t anything quite like a Best Buddies chapter meeting where students with varied abilities come together to focus on their similarities and what they can achieve with their common goals. I’m so glad that both John Coulter and John Hammond have decided to return in leadership roles with USF Best Buddies. The insight they provide and the passion they bring to the chapter is unprecedented. This is going to be a stellar year!
As the meeting adjourned I had the honor of presenting the new and old officers with the official California Outstanding College Chapter award that USF won for the 2010-2011 school year. This award was originally presented by Anthony Kennedy Shriver at the Best Buddies International Leadership Conference at Indiana University. John Hammond represented the chapter at the conference and met Anthony. I humbly stood in Anthony’s stead last Thursday as I presented the award to the officers who could not attend.
On the ride back to John’s house we continued to excitedly talk about the year ahead with Best Buddies. With so many big ideas circulating, there is a lot to plan and so much to do. John quickly called his mom to let him know the meeting ran late and not to worry about us maneuvering through the hills in the fog that was now even thicker than the pea soup I forced down for lunch. He spoke to his mom in Spanish. (John is bilingual – another talent I was unaware of!) As I said goodbye to John and pointed my car toward home, I thought to myself, “There is still so much I have to learn from these student leaders. “
