Those who live with special needs often find themselves alienated by their peers, but this has never been a problem for the ten girls who make up a Girl Scouts troop called The Ladybugs in Washington D.C.

For the past nine years, the girls have all been the best of friends, and they are now touching the world with their powerful friendship.

Sarina, Nora, Lillie, Maddie, Anjulie, and the other girls in the troop were all just five or six years-old when their parents saw that their girls needed a community with others like them, so they started this “safe haven” troop. You see, each of the girls in the troop was born with Down syndrome, and their parents wanted the girls to all know that they were not alone.

Linda Sauve, the Troop Leader, started The Ladybugs with her daughter Sarina, and she now considers it to be one of her greatest accomplishments.

All these years later, the girls in the troop are getting ready to enter adulthood in the next few years, but their bond is just as strong as ever. Like any other group of friends, the girls don’t have absolutely everything in common, but they share many of the same interests.

“Having that common thread doesn’t mean that they’re all alike, by any means,” Linda said. “They’re all unique individuals. But having that extra chromosome gives us all a common thread.”

“People, if you have Down syndrome, that’s cool. You get to do cool activities!” Sarina said, with another member of the troop adding, “What I like about Girl Scouts is that your friends are there for you.”

We should all be so lucky to have a group like The Ladybugs that supports us no matter what! Find out more about them in the video below.