The idea is easy to understand: if a child feels left out, unsure how to join in, or just needs a friend, they can sit on the Buddy Bench. That small action signals to others that they’re looking for connection and opens the door for someone to join them. It’s a quiet, gentle way to encourage empathy, spark conversations, and help kids look out for one another. On the playground, where social situations can be tricky, a Buddy Bench becomes a safe place to say, “I’d like a friend right now.”

Here in Mill Creek, the Buddy Bench movement is the newest chapter in a long tradition of donating benches led by local service groups like Mill Creek Rotary, Mill Creek Kiwanis, and the Mill Creek Women’s Club. Over the years, these organizations have generously donated benches throughout town, though not originally as Buddy Benches, but simply as inviting places to rest, reflect, and gather. You may have passed one on your daily walk or while attending a summer concert without realizing what it represented. There are currently two benches in the Forum area of the Mill Creek Town Center (right where the summer concert series happens), two inside the Mill Creek YMCA, one outside People’s Bank, and another tucked along one of Mill Creek’s beautiful trails. Most recently, the Rotary and Kiwanis clubs joined forces to donate two new Buddy Benches to local schools: Cedarwood Elementary and Woodside Elementary.

Originally, the Rotary had planned to donate just one buddy bench as part of their ongoing community service efforts led by Doreen Sharpe of North Light Custom Builders. Around the same time, Kiwanis also had a bench ready, but no specific destination in mind. Once the two clubs discovered their shared goal, teaming up made perfect sense and brought double the benefit to two well-loved elementary schools. It’s a wonderful example of collaboration in action, and just one of the many ways Mill Creek’s community spirit shines.