On the first Friday of every month, the Recreation Center is transformed into a sanctuary of love, laughter, and pure excitement as Falcon Friends gather to prove that a little connection can make the heart grow fonder.
Inspired by the mission of Best Buddies, this monthly campus tradition brings together students of all abilities to forge genuine bonds, ensuring that no one has to navigate the university alone.
Whether it’s through a shared game, a deep conversation, a high-five or simply a friendly face in the Rec Center, the Falcon Friends program is redefining what it means to be a community—one Friday at a time.
“I think it’s the same reason why you play sports and it’s to be part of something bigger,” said Fitchburg State assistant football coach Max Schiavone, a former Falcon football player who first got involved in Falcon Friends in 2013 as a student-athlete. “Obviously these kids aren’t as blessed as us to play a sport, but this little moment here is a big thing for them. I think it allows athletes to see people that aren’t as fortunate as them and make them more fortunate about their situation. Giving back is giving back. As an athlete, you want to give back and be remembered and this is all that in a nutshell.
“How do you come here and have a bad time?” said Schiavone. “I don’t think being a good person is a hard thing. You come here and there’s no way you’re leaving without a smile.”
Meryl Higgins – a Special Education Teacher/Program Coordinator for the Fitchburg Public Schools Extended Program and co-advisor of the Falcon Friends club, along with co-advisor and Associate Professor of Education Felicia Farron-Davis – has been smiling since the inception of Falcon Friends in 2012.
Falcons Friends pairs students in the Extended Day Program – students 18-22 with intellectual disabilities – at McKay with Fitchburg State students one day a month for activities that include basketball, soccer, four square, volleyball, walking the track or simply conversing.
The purpose of Falcon Friends is to promote social inclusion of students with disabilities, as well as form meaningful friendships with age-appropriate peers.
“It's sometimes hard for me to put into words, but I just love seeing all the students together having fun,” said Higgins, who earned her master’s degree from Fitchburg State in Special Education. “My heart feels full on these days, especially because I feel these social connections are so important and meaningful.”
The smiles on every student tell the story.
“It makes me feel really good coming here and I’m making kids happy,” said Hannah Azzari, a junior lacrosse player who is majoring in biology. “I usually walk the track with a couple of the girls and they talk to me about their lives and my life. They ask me for advice. I did have a tough conversation one time with one of them about body image and she told me that I made her feel a lot better. It goes to show that we’re all the same, we all have the same insecurities and we all have the same fears. This really brings everyone together.”
One of the Extended Day students, 21-year-old Ryan Ashline – known for his outstanding long-distance basketball shooting – was sporting a Boston Celtics jersey of his favorite player Jayson Tatum while showcasing his tremendous outside shooting accuracy.
“I love basketball a lot,” said Ashline. “I’m making friends with people here and hanging out with everybody.”
Andrew Gutierrez, 18, said he has formed great bonds with some of the Fitchburg State football players who make it a point to show up and assist every month at Falcon Friends.
“I love to play basketball and shoot the 3-pointers,” said Gutierrez. “I like to meet my friends.”
Pedro DeCastro, 20, is also a huge basketball fan.
“I like to play games,” said DeCastro. “My favorite sport is basketball. I feel happy when I play with friends.”
Carla Cruz, 21, said she enjoys throwing the soccer ball around in the gymnasium.
“I’m excited to come here and play soccer with friends,” said Cruz.
You could be having the worst day of your life and you come here and it can turn into the best day of your life. Just to see them all happy, it’s hard not to get happy yourself.
The Falcon Friends club’s executive board is led by president Elizabeth McNabb, vice president Chris Bjornson, treasurer Giuliani Angelucci and social media coordinator Ava Anderson.
“I think it’s about friendship and inclusion, and getting everyone together and creating a space where everyone can be themselves and hang out,” said McNabb. “We have so many students who come here and have a disability, and it’s about bringing more awareness to that.”
Angelucci said that it’s important for anyone in this community to find a place where they feel like they belong.
“I think that’s what I feel when I’m here,” said Angelucci. “This is an easy club to find that community.”
Bjornson said he fell in love with this program right from the get-go.
“Our big thing at Fitchburg State is community,” said Bjornson. “Hosting these events, it’s cool to get these friendships going and seeing them bloom into something more.”
This community builds character, said Schiavone.
“You have to have patience, you have to have understanding and you have to have a good heart,” said Schiavone. “You can’t come here and fake that.”
There’s no faking the love the students have for helping out with the Falcon Friends program.
“It really gives you a new perspective on life itself,” said sophomore football player and communications media major Conrad Lynch. “This gives them the opportunity to be just like everyone else. They think that we are helping them, but really they are helping us more than we help them. It gives you a good feeling like you are doing something great.
“We come out here and play sports with them, and it really gives you hope,” said Lynch. “They come out here and show you just how much ability they really have.”
Make no mistake, your heart grows bigger each time you are here, said Lynch.
“You could be having the worst day of your life and you come here and it can turn into the best day of your life,” said Lynch. “Just to see them all happy, it’s hard not to get happy yourself.”
Junior Jonah Costa, a football player and construction management major, said Falcon Friends reminds him of home in a way. His younger sister Andra, 18, has autism.
“I love coming out and playing with the students,” said Costa. “If I can make them smile, it makes me feel great.”
Andra will attend Rhode Island College in the fall.
“I couldn’t be more proud of her,” said Costa. “She’s smarter than me. She’s got a better GPA than me. Every time I come home, my mom gets emotional because I always bring a smile out of my sister. Sometimes it’s tough because she’s not the happiest person at all times.”
The bond between all the students extends throughout campus and even into the dining hall.
“I will see them in the dining hall and I’ll say hi and talk,” said sophomore Austin Lasseter, a criminal justice major. “That makes my day. I don’t know if it makes their day or even if they want to talk to me, but it makes my day. I have a bunch of fun seeing them off the field and off the court.”
“It makes me feel great to make them feel like they are having a good college experience and they are fitting in with the student-athletes,” said junior Sammy Azzari, a volleyball and lacrosse athlete who is majoring in business administration. “Last year we would see them in the dining hall and they would recognize us and say ‘hi.’ It feels great that we’re making an impact.”
Sometimes, exposure with Falcon Friends leads some students to think about switching their major. Freshman Garrett Berry, a football player majoring in criminal justice, is one of those students.
“I think it’s nice to help people with disabilities,” said Berry. “I just want to help people. I fell in love with this and want to change my major.”
Schiavone said that he doesn’t have to beg any student-athlete to come here and be a small part of Falcon Friends.
“They show up and it’s so natural,” said Schiavone. “It’s a natural high. Everyone comes here and they leave happy. People follow good things. It creates some leaders, but it also creates a better community.”
And makes the heart grow fonder.