At Ben Franklin Elementary/Middle School: George Belch, Building Construction Instructor; Fayette CTI students who constructed Buddy Benches; Bernadette Ptak; Nate White, Instructional Supervisor
Think back to the excitement of the playground during grade school recess… the bright sunshine as you exit the school building, the smell of freshly cut grass, the feeling of mulch under your feet as you navigate through the jungle gym, and the energy of your classmates around you. Children may have some days when they feel isolated from all of that action though, and a local couple has worked with the Community Foundation of Fayette County (CFFC) to help.
The John and Bernadette Ptak Family Fund, held at CFFC, is a donor advised fund that was created by its namesake. The fund provided a grant for Buddy Benches at Ben Franklin Elementary/Middle School, Lafayette Elementary/Middle School, Marclay Elementary School, and Wharton Elementary School. One bench was installed at each of those four schools in the Uniontown Area School District.
Buddy Benches are used on school playgrounds as a way for students to signal to others that they are feeling lonely and need a friend to play with or someone to talk to. When a child sits on the Buddy Bench, other classmates are encouraged to invite that child to play with them.
The Ptaks knew they wanted to utilize their charitable giving to install Buddy Benches at local schools, and CFFC was ready to make that happen. Renee M. Couser, CFFC Executive Director, reached out to Fayette County Career & Technical Institute (CTI) to ask if they could construct the benches. George Belch, Building Construction Instructor, said it was a go.
Fayette CTI students – six in particular – constructed the four benches. The John and Bernadette Ptak Family Fund grant provided funding for materials to construct the Buddy Benches.
When seeing a Buddy Bench for the first time, Mrs. Ptak gratefully said to the Fayette CTI students, “Thank you so much. You did a wonderful job.” The bench installations at the school playgrounds will serve as a tool for kindness for years to come.
Featured on KDKA-TV’s “Community Compass” segment: https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/video/four-buddy-benches-created-for-four-uniontown-area-school-district-playgrounds-community-compass/
