OXFORD — Miami University senior Anne Miller was recently honored for something she considers part of her weekly routine.

She received the Individual Volunteer of the Year Award from the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities during an awards banquet at The Savannah Center in West Chester Twp. Miller is president of the Best Buddies Chapter at Miami and has been a member of the program that fosters friendships between college students and BCDD clients throughout her entire college career.

Miller said she has been volunteering since she was little, thanks to the example set by her parents.

“My parents have always been the type of get involved in the community and believed in teaching my sisters and I to do the same,” Miller said. “They stressed the importance of giving back to the community and making the world a better place.”

During the four years Miller has been involved with Best Buddies program at MU, she has formed two very close relationships.

“My most recent buddy is Holly Oehler. She and I have such a genuine friendship and it has been fun to see it develop over these past two years,” Miller said. “She has changed my life forever and I am forever grateful to have had the opportunity of being matched with her.”

When Miller found out that she had been named the volunteer of the year, she was stunned.

“I was extremely shocked to receive this award,” Miller said. “It is truly humbling and honoring, but like I have said many times before, the true recognition should go to all of the people involved with the Butler Board Of DD. It’s a collective effort.”

Miller says everyone should volunteer because of the affect it could have on your life, and it allows people to appreciate the little things.

“Volunteering allows people to ‘walk in another man’s shoes,’ or see life from a different perspective,” Miller said. “We get so comforable in our own lives that it is easy to forget that there are so many people who have extremely different life experiences.”

If anyone is interested in learning more about Best Buddies, or getting involved you can contact Miller at mille383@maimioh.edu.