Hundreds of bottle caps have turned into a place of companionship at Urbana’s five elementary schools, thanks to the Champaign West Rotary Club.
Five “Buddy Benches” were installed this week, one at each of the elementary schools. The intent of the Buddy Bench is to promote friendship, inclusiveness and kindness. A student feeling lonely or otherwise in need of company sits on the bench, sending a non-verbal cue to others that they would like a buddy to play with.
Each bench takes a whopping 200 pounds of plastic caps and costs about $295. Green Tree Plastics in Evansville, Ind., produced the benches. They were installed by the Urbana School District facilities team, each bench also has a plaque. The caps and funding were graciously provided by the Champaign West Rotary Club.
