My patient/student and I love Best Buddies art class! Best Buddies is a non-for-profit organization that creates relationships and opportunities with people who have a diverse range of disabilities.

Whitney Young High School has a Best Buddies art class. Within the class, students who do not have special needs or disabilities are paired with students who do have special needs and disabilities.

The instructor educates the students about artists from an array of visual media, including, but not limited to late artist Keith Herring. Keith Herring created the Best Buddies logo because one of his own family members was medically compromised and very dependent on their medical staff.

The artwork is amazing. The bonds that are created are memorable. Some students go to college within majors that will allow them to do work that is similar to their experience in the Best Buddies art class.

I had never had an artistic experience like this before and I loved it. Sometimes we went outside to create art, which was a reprieve from the cold winters when the weather was warmer. At the end of the year, there is a big art exhibition with food, live music and an all-around wonderful time.

As I bought my patient’s artwork home, his mother proclaimed, “This is so cool! We are going to open an art gallery for you!”