Joseph Wickham-Vilaubi, Life Scout from Scouts BSA 303A, had difficulty making friends during his years at Mint Canyon Elementary School when he was growing up. As someone with autism it wasn’t easy for him to connect with other children and participate in conversation.
Despite the tough years as a young child, he didn’t let this dictate how he views life.
Now as a 16-year-old and working toward becoming an Eagle Scout, the highest rank attainable in the Scout BSA Program, he developed a project that he hopes will make an impact and help other children overcome the same challenges he once did.
On Saturday morning, Wickham-Vilaubi had the help of his parents and Scout members to install the first-ever Mint Canyon Elementary School buddy bench, a place where children can create friendships with others who may feel lonely or excluded.
“I just wanted to help the kids here that also have similar disabilities and challenges, that way they can make friends,” said Wickham-Vilaubi.
Wickham-Vilaubi began his brainstorming of the buddy bench idea last summer and pitched it to Mint Canyon Elementary School Principal Paulette Volmer in a formal presentation in December for her approval.
He held a yard and bake sale to raise money for the bench and contacted many businesses to make the idea into a reality.
Now, finally witnessing his hard work come to life, he described the feeling as strange because he anticipated this day “forever,” he said. “Now it’s finally here, and now … What do I do?” he said jokingly.
The buddy bench encapsulates the meaning of Mint Canyon Elementary School’s mission and a great addition to fostering that message, said Volmer.
“We are a Capturing Kids’ Hearts Showcase School here, and what that means is that we focus on kindness … Empathy … and a lot of other things … and this just adds to what we already do here,” she said. “This [will be] a good place for [children] to just hang out and have a conversation.”
The bench sits next to the picnic area where there’s also some shade, so students can comfortably connect with one another and form friendships, she added.
Cynthia Wickham, mother of Joseph, was very proud of her son for creating something positive out of the challenges he faced.
“He’s had to think a little bit harder because things aren’t as the way his mind works. It takes a little bit more for him to come to the same conclusion [many of us] would. He works a little bit more for it,” she said. “I am so proud that he’s able to think outside the box and do something for the future and something that’s clearly going to be here for years to come.”
Cynthia, who also works at the school, looks forward to witnessing the bench put to use and seeing children who are having trouble making friends go to a safe place and “be able to sit without having to really say anything and to see other children understand what that means and gravitate towards those children to be able to make those friendships and connections,” she said.
Joseph looks forward to coming to campus to help his mother and seeing children form connections.
One message he wants other kids like him to know is, “Don’t give up,” he said, adding, “There are other kids on this playground that want to be on your team and want to be your friend and want to play with you.”
