Over the last three years, 12-year-old Layla, and 49-year-old Katie have become close friends.
They met through the Buddy Program, a nonprofit that manages over 100 buddy pairings between Aspen and Carbondale. The program celebrated its 50th anniversary on Tuesday.
Kids are invited to join the program and receive a buddy for a variety of reasons, including when they’re living in a single-parent household and could benefit from additional supervision, or when they need extra encouragement in school.
Layla and Katie discussed their relationship and how they’ve bonded over the years they’ve spent in the Buddy Program at Aspen Public Radio’s studios on Monday.
Layla: So once we finally got to meet, it was in my dining room.
Katie: And then COVID hit, and we spent our first definite six months to a year on video. I always say in the end, I feel like we got to know each other better than we would have because we actually had to talk, and we weren't busy doing an activity. We would just talk on video for hours.
Layla: Back then, I loved to play the guitar, and I believe I was pretty bad at it, but I'd be able to sing for her. So I'd put my iPad on my desk, and I'd play the guitar for her.
Katie: And you wrote music.
Layla: I did write music.
Katie: We were just talking about it. We cooked together. Oh, My favorite story is the first time we decided to bake cookies together over Zoom. We didn't know each other that well. And I went … Do you want to finish the story?
Layla: She went and bought the cookie mix from the store, and I made it from scratch. So she just put them in the oven while me and my mom were putting all the ingredients together.
Katie: She's the better baker than I am, but we have baked a lot over the years and improved our skills, or I have improved mine. One of my highlights is I watched her one summer learn how to water ski, and she just worked at it … never gave up. And that was pretty cool.
Layla: One of our favorite activities is Mini Golf at CP Burger. We are amazing at it.
Katie: We are the best cheaters.
Layla: We cheat all the time.
Katie: But the last time we went, tell her what happened.
Layla: I got two [holes in one]. What did you get? Five?
Katie: I think I got five [holes in one]. I've never gotten one in my whole life. It was like the weirdest day.
I would describe Layla as so curious, so game for anything, and you're also so compassionate toward animals, toward me. She always asks me, ‘How am I? How is my sick mother?’ She is just so thoughtful and kind to everybody and really cares about the world around her.
Layla: I would describe you as really passionate about your family and your friends. I love how you're always so brave to try new things, even though you do look really scared when you do it. The smile that you have just lights up the room that you're in, and I love that about you.
Katie: I just had a vision of the time we went horseback riding.
Layla: That's what I was envisioning too.
Katie: She was galloping and prancing and I was scared of the horse. And it was like she was my big buddy.
Layla: Katie's really improved with some of the fears that she has. She used to be really afraid of dogs.
Katie: I love dogs now, but Layla was part of that and [helped] me feel more comfortable with dogs. One of our favorite things to do is just to go to the shelter and play. She loves the cat room.
Layla: I love the cat room.
Over time, we've learned so much about each other that we've been so comfortable to tell each other about personal stuff. I've definitely grown because of Katie. When I was little, I used to not be able to talk to people, and I used to have to tell my mom to ask her co-workers to say stuff. But Katie really pushed me.
Katie: She was always very shy in the beginning, and I remember one time going to see a performance and the line was really long to get the tickets, and I couldn't find parking. And I dropped you and told you to get in line to get the tickets and I'll find parking. And you looked at me like you were so nervous and so scared. But then you did it. And I remember you feeling proud of yourself afterward. I mean, I think we have forever together. I can't imagine life without you. I'm going to be at her wedding. We're going to be friends forever.
Editor’s Note: Aspen Public Radio is not using Layla’s last name in this story because she is a minor.
