Celebrating Boundless Friendships

Today is the International Day of Friendship, a day created in 2011 by the United Nations to promote understanding and respect for diversity. 

There have been many lasting friendships formed at Boundless over the years between people of all abilities, but today we wanted to celebrate by sharing the story of a group of friends from our Boundless Community Pathways (BCP) program.

Meet Sam, Lizzy, Ivar, and Regan!

Some of Sam, Lizzy, Ivar, and Regan’s favorite activities to do together include eating lunch, exercise club, making themed crafts, and dancing. In fact, everyone at BCP loves dancing so much, music is played at the end of each day for a mini “dance party” before going home. 

Yet, the group hasn’t always meshed together as easily as they do today. 

Making friends as an adult is hard. For an adult in the I/DD community, there are a whole other set of obstacles to overcome. Communication can be a challenge, while sensory sensitivities can make it difficult to let people into their space. 

For these four, when these challenges began to be faced, the dynamic of what was once just a ‘small group’ really started to change and grow into something special.

The Friendship Story

At first, Lizzy was the ‘glue’ that held the group together. 

“Lizzy was always a social butterfly who loves to help others and sees everyone as a friend.” says Brad McCann, program supervisor, who has watched the friendship for the past two years.

For Sam, Ivar, and Regan, being comfortable in a social environment wasn’t immediate. When first coming to the program, they kept to themselves. Over time, they started to move away from their comfort zone and began welcoming new experiences, activities, and people. 

And it wasn’t just the team members at Boundless who helped them along to this transformation. Lizzy was there, too, to encourage and guide her friends.

Now, the entire group is ready to pull out the welcome wagon for any newcomer to the program.

“Today you will see the group of four greeting new individuals to the day program, encouraging others to try new activities, talking to new people, and assisting others during clubs and classes,” Brad shares with pride. 

But no matter how many new friends they make at the program, Sam, Lizzy, Ivar, and Regan continue to be a close-knit group. 

“You can see the pure joy they share for each other and others as they succeed, grow, and open up,” says Brad. “They cheer each other on, build one another up, and help others grow and reach their potential. What a special group. In the coming years it will be a privilege to watch them continue to grow, spread their wings, and support others to fly.”