A Buddy Bench is placed on a school playground to help promote a safe space where children may sit if they need a friend by their side. The bench is a tool to spread kindness, raise awareness, and help prevent bullying. Victoria Portela, a former student at Dr. Henry E. Perrine Academy of the Arts, and her mother, Mary Portela, unveiled the bench with Mitch Panter, managing partner at PPS, in the school cafeteria, where they discussed the importance of creating a safe and supportive environment for children.

Panter, Panter & Sampedro (PPS) is the main sponsor of the first “Buddy Bench” by the My Buddy Bench Project Foundation, an initiative to offer a safe space where children may sit if they need a friend by their side.

A Buddy Bench is placed on a school playground to help promote a safe space where children may sit if they need a friend by their side. The bench is a tool to spread kindness, raise awareness, and help prevent bullying, according to the Miami firm. The unveiling took place June 6, 2023, at Dr. Henry E. Perrine Academy of the Arts, an elementary school in Palmetto Bay.