A Buddy Bench from The Park and Facilities Catalog was recently featured on the national "Steve" show on NBC. Host Steve Harvey discussed the concept behind the bench and how it helps children socialize in a schoolyard

A Buddy Bench donated to a school by The Park and Facilities Catalog was recently featured on the nationally televised "Steve" show starring popular comedian Steve Harvey.

The show centered on a young man named Alex, who was recently the subject of an article on our website.

Producers at the "Steve" show

A student on the "Buddy Bench" he was able to get installed at his elementary school to foster making friends

Sometimes just one child can make a big difference in the lives of their classmates.

Take a young man named Alex for example, of Stafford, VA.

According to his mother, Dottie, during recess Alex would often see children on the playground with no one to play with and this really bothered him. During the end of year party at church camp, Alex noticed a bunch of children were playing. But a young man in a wheelchair, was sitting all by himself. This was very upsetting to Alex.

He went over and befriended the youngster and together the two of them had a great time together.

The idea struck Alex that many other children also experience the same kind of loneliness.

To change this, during his summer break Alex got the idea of adding a

Two friends on a buddy bench

Buddy bench - that simple solution to schoolyard loneliness - is catching on across the country in a number of interesting and heartwarming ways.

What is a buddy bench? Most of you by now have heard the buddy bench story. The concept was made popular in the US by first-grade student Christian Bucks after he learned about the idea from a school in Dusseldorf, Germany.

The youngster's family was scheduled to move there after his father's company planned to transfer him there.

While looking at the school's website, Christian noticed a peculiar bench that seemed to continually attract students.

Turns out, the bench was the school's official "buddy bench." It's designated as a place where a student can sit if he or she feels lonely. Then other students notice this and are

A buddy bench can help lonely kids make new friend

Many people have heard about a buddy bench. But what is the best way to pick the right bench for this old school networking tool? (Now a phenomenon that has caught on with hundreds of schools across the US.)

If you haven't already heard about the buddy bench, here's the back story. The idea originated in Germany and was first brought to the US by a young man named Christian Bucks.

Apparently the youngster's family once considered moving to Germany. While checking out brochures on elementary schools located there, Christian noticed a bench with strange lettering positioned strategically in a schoolyard. He was curious and inquired about its purpose. That's where he learned about the power