A reminder of how sweet it is to sit with a friend: Lolo’s ‘Buddy Bench’

BY OLIVIA CAMERON- After the passing of considerate local Lolo Weir in December of 2017, the Garden Club was inspired to replicate her passionate personality in a rainbow-painted bench. The bench was placed on the campus of The Island School and would be named the “Buddy Bench.”
Lolo was known for her friendliness and colorful charisma. The Buddy Bench displays Lolo’s way of life, “To have a friend is to be one.” 
Behind the idea to design a unique bench was Christian Bucks, a young boy anxious to transfer overseas. He imagined the Buddy Bench would come with circumstances that promised friendship within the school. Kids are not born knowing the value of a good friend, but learn it along the way.
The Buddy Bench was originally placed just beyond the school’s front door, but was temporarily relocated to the playground while the campus and Community Center get their paint touched up.
Christie Stevenson, executive assistant of The Island School, assured the bench has not been permanently moved. 
“The painters may have put it on the playground by mistake. Rest assured it will be returned to its original home this week!”
Coincidence or not, the temporary placement of the Buddy Bench parallel to the street could have been a gentle reminder to celebrate friends and loved ones. There’s no doubt the eye of a passerby hasn’t been caught by its sensational colors. 
Since officials have encouraged social distancing in an attempt to protect from compromising each other’s health, relationships have taken a toll. A virus doesn’t care if a friendship slips through the cracks.
This bench could be a reminder that, like its short-lived relocation, the panic of the virus is not perpetual.