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Katie Bialy with Best Buddies Josh and Will at a Christmas party for Best Buddies. By Matt Cate
Many high schoolers drift aimlessly through their four years of mandatory institutionalization and only find meaning later on in life. For Katie Bialy, however, high school is an opportunity to reach out to people who need contact the most.
Katie, a junior at East Greenwich High School, is a member of her school's Best Buddies club. Best Buddies is an international organization that reaches out to individuals with intellectual disabilities.
"When I first joined the club, I was a sophomore," Katie said. "I was kind of just looking for extracurricular activities, just something that [would] fill my application for college... But it turned out to be a lot more than that."
Katie found that the Best Buddies group at East Greenwich High School only had a handful of members and needed a new jolt of energy in order to reach its full potential. When she became president of her school's chapter, Katie recruited several new members and grew Best Buddies to over twenty students.
That was only the beginning.
Katie explained that Best Buddies requires each group member to pick an intellectually disabled student as a friend and maintain contact with him or her outside of school at least twice a week via phone or e-mail. Twice a month, Best Buddies will take its members and their special friends to a public event like bowling, a sports game, the cinema, or a community amusement.
"When I first started to get to know the kids, I realized how lonely that it must be for them... They're not segregated from the rest of the school, but... a lot of the kids stay in one classroom all day, and the only time that they will get out of that classroom is for lunch. And sometimes at lunch they'll be sitting alone, too."
For Katie, connecting with more students with disabilities became a personal mission that extended beyond school walls. That is why she has decided to participate in this year's Hyannis Port Challenge, a fundraising event "that fosters friendship, teamwork, and the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities," according to the event's website. Participants can ride bikes, run, or walk for various lengths – 20, 50, and 100 miles.
Katie and her father are individually raising $1,250 for the Challenge and will take part in the 100-mile bike ride on May 30th. In addition to telling her friends and family about the Hyannis Port event, Katie is also asking kids at school and people in the neighborhoods for help.
"I think anyone can really make a lot out of this [Best Buddies] club, so I felt that doing the bike race... is the way that I can give back to how much this club has really done for me as a person."
As a teenager enmeshed in the often jungle-like environment of high school, Katie understands well how difficult and isolating the experience can be. Her fundraising page discusses her close friendship with Brian, an intellectually disabled student who opened her eyes to a larger group of new friends that she sees as no different from herself.
Unfortunately, high school can be even more isolating for students with disabilities because it is often harder for them to connect with their clique-entrenched peers. Katie said just saying "hello" to a special needs student can make his or her day brighter and easier.
Above all, Katie seeks greater understanding and acceptance for people with intellectual challenges because they are also human beings.
"I don't think I've changed anyone's life, but I think that I'm one person who's reached out to some kids with disabilities... Even if it's my 20 kids who are in Best Buddies making a difference, if we have all these groups of people that are helping out, then soon it's just going to be a really big thing... The more that people do, the better it's going to be."
Despite her modesty, it is safe to say that Katie has made a difference - in the lives of her "buddies". To visit Katie's personal page for the Hyannis Port Challenge, please visit www.tinyurl.com/katiesbikerace.
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