Girl Scout Delivers Buddy Bench To Council

AUBURN – Auburn Girl Scout Charlotte Dickerson and her family arrived at the city council meeting Monday with one of five Buddy Benches that were made from recycled plastic caps and lids.

 Dickerson, a fourth grader and daughter of Autumn and Matt Dickerson, answered questions from the city council about herself and her plan to place the benches at schools and city parks.

Dickerson: “The reason for a Buddy Bench is, if a kid doesn’t have – well, it doesn’t specifically have to be a kid – but, if someone doesn’t have a friend to play with, they go to the bench and they wait there. Then someone would walk up and ask them to play.”

Charlotte started the project the summer before she was old enough to join Girl Scouts after looking on YouTube for “kid-friendly” service projects.

Since 2018, 500 pounds of caps and lids were collected. Each four-foot bench uses 100 pounds of recyclables.

 

Autumn Dickerson: “Actually we took a family trip to Evansville, Ind. We drove out with a U-Haul of 500 caps and lids, 500 pounds, and we drove home with five benches.”

Charlotte said she hopes the benches do the job.

Dickerson: “That it actually works to where, if a kid is lonely, it actually happens.”

She said she also liked the idea because it promotes recycling.

Dickerson: “It helps the environment because there is not as much trash thrown away.”

Charlotte is planning to meet with parks officials to find suitable locations for Buddy Benches  and the city council agreed to construct concrete pads. Calvert Elementary is planning a school assembly to receive a bench.