On this edition of The NEI Pioneer Podcast, Head of MarCom Jonathan Sackett and Marketing Content Producer Callie Herring welcome the founder of Sammie's Buddy Bench Project and our 2025 Junior Pioneer Award Winner, Sammie Vance!

Sammie discusses starting her Buddy Bench project at the age of eight. Her project started in Fort Wayne and is now global, with buddy benches as far as Ghana. Buddy Benches were just the start of her never-ending journey toward filling the world with good. Sammie talks about how she is surrounded by a fantastic support system, including her family, her classmates, and teachers, and how the project has allowed her to spread kindness farther than she ever thought she would.

To watch Sammie's Pioneer video, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGo8In-X36U

To learn more about Sammie's Buddy Bench Project, visit: https://sammiesbuddybenchproject.com/

The NEI Pioneer Podcast is a bi-weekly podcast powered by the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership’s Pioneer Starts Here platform. The podcast showcases and shares the stories of resilience and perseverance from Northeast Indiana.

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