Fallston 'Best Buddies' Nominated for Award

From cheering on the field hockey team to shopping at the Harford Mall, Best Buddies Bailey Graf and Amanda Kraemer have done it together.

As first reported by the school's paper, The Print, Graf and Kraemer were nominated by Best Buddies Maryland as an outstanding Buddy Pair.

Graf and Kraemer are the first pair from Fallston High School to be nominated for the award, according to the story in The Print.

The Best Buddies web site defines the group as a nonprofit organization that is "dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities."

For Graf and Kraemer, this just means a little organization to their hang out time.

"Amanda was manager of our field hockey team and I felt like we really connected," Graf told Patch on Thursday. "She was always giving us pep talks."

Graf explained the program involves activities both in school and outside it.

"Best buddies means everything to me," Kraemer said.

Kraemer explained that one of her favorite Best Buddies activities is peanut butter and jelly club. The activity involves making sandwiches for those in need.

“Bailey has been my best friend since I’ve met her,” Kraemer told The Print. “I like how she is nice and gentle to me.”

Both girls are focused on their next outing, which will likely be a shopping trip, they agree.