Way to Go! Carley Weinstein

Carley Weinstein is helping classmates with intellectual and developmental disabilities make new friends one buddy at a time.

Weinstein, a senior at Hauppauge High School, is president of the school's newly created chapter of Best Buddies, a nonprofit that fosters one-on-one friendships between those teens and their high school peers.

The 70-member organization has become the school's second-largest student club, she said. "Not only do we make a difference in their lives, but they make a difference in ours, too," Weinstein, 17, said of her classmates. "It really makes the high school and community a friendlier place."

To spread the word about the club, Weinstein said, members sold more than 100 bracelets to students and teachers this school year and hung posters around school hallways. Best Buddy members get together twice a month to "hang out outside of school," she said.

Weinstein's other community service efforts include volunteering weekly at the Gerwin Jewish Geriatric Center in Commack, and serving food at a soup kitchen in Central Islip.

Weinstein is the public relations officer of her school's student council and also has been a peer tutor for three years.