Sammie Vance is an Indiana native who founded Sammie’s Buddy Bench Project in 2017 when she was just eight years old. She wanted an easy way for kids to make friends, so she started collecting plastic bottle caps that could be turned
into a Buddy Bench for her school. The project has been a huge hit and there are hundreds of Buddy Benches in schools across the country. The project was a hit (and still is)! Fast-forward to now, and hundreds of Sammie’s Buddy Benches fill public spaces across the country.
Panhandle Creek Press is proud to release a new edition of Sammie’s book, Inspire the World: A Kid’s Journey to Making a Difference, coming September 29th, 2026.
Description: What started as 8-year-old Sammie Vance’s mission to get a buddy bench for her school to fight loneliness grew to be so much more. Now Sammie is making a difference beyond her hometown. In her first-ever book, Sammie shares how she’s inspiring others through recycling, community, giving, determination, bravery, helping, being herself, and celebrating. She wants to inspire the world one kid at a time.