Sunlake High School's Best Buddies chapter is signing up new members after a recruitment meeting drew students interested in building friendships with peers who have intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Akira Charlton, an 11th-grader who serves as the club's social media coordinator, helped run the sign-up session at the 2,206-student Land O' Lakes school, The Perch, Sunlake's student newspaper, first reported Monday, Sept. 28. Charlton answered questions and walked newcomers through what to expect as members.

"I wanted to be inclusive and I wanted everyone to have a friend," Charlton told The Perch.

She joined Best Buddies before becoming an officer, saying the role let her help others while staying more involved. Pairs spend time together at lunch, before or after school and sometimes outside campus.

Charlton said she is looking forward to the club's participation in a walk event in April. The Best Buddies Friendship Walk for the Tampa Bay area is scheduled for Saturday, April 17, 2027, at Steinbrenner Field, 1 Steinbrenner Dr., Tampa, according to the event's registration page. Check-in opens at 8 a.m., opening ceremonies begin at 9 a.m. and the walk starts at 9:30 a.m. The event runs until noon.

Parking is free.

Best Buddies International, the nonprofit behind the local chapter, was founded in 1989 and now operates more than 4,000 chapters worldwide, according to the organization's website. Sunlake's chapter, part of the Pasco County School District, is one of several high school programs in the Tampa Bay region.