Vance, Sammie
Haley Elementary student brought "buddy benches" to Fort Wayne. Was tweeted by actress Reese Witherspoon and many others. Famous actress applauds Fort Wayne third grader Kelly Roberts April 12, 2018 CBS WANE-TV NewsChannel 15. sammiesbuddybenchproject.com, Sammies Buddy Bench Project at Polywood.com.
Thrilled to present Sammie Vance, a 3rd grade student at Haley Elementary School, with a Certificate of Excellence for bringing Buddy Benches to her school.
Posted by Mayor Tom Henry on Thursday, March 8, 2018Thursday, March 8, 2018 post by Mayor Tom Henry on Facebook:
Thrilled to present Sammie Vance, a 3rd grade student at Haley Elementary School, with a Certificate of Excellence for bringing Buddy Benches to her school.
A Fort Wayne girl is making national news for her kindness! đ°đâ¤ď¸ âIf somebodyâs lonely or if theyâre new to the school...
Posted by Greater Fort Wayne Inc. on Monday, April 9, 2018Monday, April 9, 2018 post by Greater Fort Wayne Inc. on Facebook:
A Fort Wayne girl is making national news for her kindness!
“If somebody’s lonely or if they’re new to the school and they don’t have anybody to play with, they can sit on the bench,” the 9-year-old explained. “If other people see them on the bench, they’ll come up to them and ask them to play. And they can play together.”
How a 9-year-old and her bottle caps created a playground of inclusion on USAToday
January 2, 2023 post by POLYWOOD on Facebook:
 One of our favorite highlights of 2022 was having pioneering young eco-activists Ryan Hickman and Sammie's Buddy Bench Project visit POLYWOOD HQ. These incredible 13 year olds prove that anyone can make an environmental impact, regardless of their age.
Learn more about these powerhouse kids: Fresh Faces of Sustainability
The founder of Sammie's Buddy Bench Project says she's giving back to Mayor Tom Henry in honor of all the good he's done...
Posted by WANE 15 on Friday, March 8, 2024Friday, March 8, 2024 post by WANE 15 on Facebook:
The founder of Sammie's Buddy Bench Project says she's giving back to Mayor Tom Henry in honor of all the good he's done in the community. Here's how you can help bring a buddy bench to Citizens Square in the mayor's honor. You can help bring a buddy bench to Citizens Square in honor of the mayor
The city of Fort Wayne and Henry family made the announcement Thursday. He was 72.
Posted by WANE 15 on Thursday, March 28, 2024Thursday, March 28, 2024 post by WANE 15 on Facebook:
The city of Fort Wayne and Henry family made the announcement Thursday. He was 72.
Tom Henry, longstanding leader of Fort Wayne, passes away
The bench project was announced shortly after the mayor disclosed his cancer diagnosis.
Posted by WANE 15 on Thursday, March 28, 2024Thursday, March 28, 2024 post by WANE 15 on Facebook:
The bench project was announced shortly after the mayor disclosed his cancer diagnosis.
Buddy Bench to honor Mayor Henry could debut soon
See our Sammie Vance Buddy Bench section.
âMayor Tom Henry has always been kind to me, always easy to talk to, and always supportive of me and his community. I...
Posted by Heidi Vance on Friday, March 29, 2024Friday, March 29, 2024 post by Heidi Vance on Facebook:
“Mayor Tom Henry has always been kind to me, always easy to talk to, and always supportive of me and his community. I would not be who I am, or be where I am today if it were not for Mayor Henry and his support. He will forever be missed, and greatly appreciated.” Sammie
I had the privilege of meeting Mayor Tom Henry quite a few times over the past 7 years. He was so supportive of Sammie's Buddy Bench Project and always took the time to talk and listen. He was even a guest on her Sammie Smiles Podcast.
I am thankful for the friendship they had, always cheering each other on. Sammie wrote a book about being Mayor for the day inspired by her talks with Mayor Henry.
When we found out the mayor was sick we asked if we could work on getting a buddy bench honoring him. He approved it and wanted a green buddy bench to be put in Citizens Square! We got right to work and Sammie rallied the community to help collect plastic milk jugs that will be the recycled material used to get his buddy bench! Within the 2 weeks we collected (needing only 1,000 pcs) the community donated 1,760! It was a way for the community to come together and help do something special! On Tuesday we were able to update the Mayor about the progress and that the bench was ordered.
I so wanted him to be able to see it and have Sammie and him (2 buddies) sit on it. But I am glad he knew about it and it will be here soon for his family and community to see and be reminded of his love for his City of Fort Wayne Government.
You can see in the comments what the plaque will say that will go on the buddy bench