Saint Mary's junior Courtenay Verret attended Tuesday's Logan Center fundraiser to support her friend Rhea Warner, a 61-year-old mentally disabled member of the Logan community, who said a prayer at the luncheon.

Little did Verret know, she and Warner would be honored by the center's Board of Trustees and guest speaker Rosalynn Carter for their exemplary relationship, forged through the Best Buddies program.

"I love her spunk," said Verret of Warner, who she met last fall when she joined Best Buddies, which randomly pairs volunteers with mentally disabled adults. The women meet once or twice monthly to chat, attend concerts or get Dairy Queen.

"I like that she's so nice," Warner said of Verret. "I had two other buddies who weren't worth it. They would just come over and want to talk. [Courtenay] takes me places. I care about her."

Verret, a French and communications major and member of the Notre Dame Marching Band, began volunteering at Logan last fall. Initially, she was unsure of her ability to help center clients.

"When I went out after the first time I visited [Logan Center] and got the tour, I want to run out and cry in my car," Verret said. "I didn't know if I'd be able to handle it. It's kind of a shock, and humbling, so many people in one place who have a disability."

In addition to Best Buddies, Verret volunteers weekly in an adult rehabilitation program, helping to feed and entertain adults, many of who are restricted to wheelchairs and cannot speak. She plans to continue service work and might participate after graduation in the L'arche program, in which volunteers live in community with mentally disabled adults.

Verret and Warner were among five pairs of friends were honored for their dedication to building relationships between community volunteers and mentally disabled citizens. Honorees received engraved picture frames and were photographed with Carter.

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