A new monument in the lobby of Citizens Square honors Mayor Tom Henry’s legacy and his support for city initiatives, like the Buddy Benches, of which he now has his own.
The Buddy Bench program was created in 2017, to help kids around Fort Wayne find companionship, by encouraging kids to join their fellow students on the bench and make a new friend.
Mayor Tom Henry’s green bench, a color he picked, now sits in the lobby of Citizens Square.
Sammie Vance, the founder of the Buddy Bench program said she considered Henry a friend and advisor. They met several times over the years since the beginning of the program and Henry even gave Vance advice on running for mayor in fifth grade.
“So, when I heard that he was diagnosed with cancer, I just wanted to get him something that, you know, would mean a lot and have an impact on the community and something that would last forever,” Vance said. “And a Buddy Bench was something that he always supported me on and I think it was something just to give back to him.”
Henry’s family attended the unveiling, commenting on how grateful they were for the installation and how proud of Henry was of Sammie.
“Just knowing how proud Mayor Henry’s family is of me and how proud he would have been of me, it means a lot,” Vance said. “He meant so much to me and I learned so much from him and just know the impact that he created, also there is some impact that maybe I had on him, too.”
Henry’s brother, Tony, was there for the unveiling and said Tom Henry was all about making friends.
“And I can think of a more significant piece to put here at Citizens Square for people to sit on, find a moment of leisure, hopefully reflect on how great the city’s become under his leadership,” Tony said.
The bench bears a plaque on the back for the late mayor that reads ‘In Honor of Mayor Tom Henry, A Friend to All’ and is signed from Sammie’s Buddy Bench Project and the Fort Wayne Community.
The Buddy Benches are made from recycled plastic. Vance put out a call for donations of milk jugs in March, needing 1,000 jugs for the bench, and ended up receiving 1,700 in just two weeks.
