To whom it may concern:
It is my pleasure to express my support of Best Buddies.
As a Best Buddies Sponsor and professional educator at Mountain Ridge High School in Glendale, Arizona, I have been fortunate and blessed to be a part of an amazing program that has made a huge difference in the climate of the campus. The MRHS Best Buddies Program, today, is a flourishing program that has literally changed the “face” of our campus to a much more compassionate, knowledgeable and tolerant one. As a special education teacher, I knew that my students, in the past, were not experiencing the “typical” high school experience. They wanted to go to prom and other dances, hang out at football games and go to the mall with friends. Unfortunately, these simple activities for most students with intellectual disabilities are not possible because they lack a friend to attend these events with. Best Buddies enables typical peers and peers with intellectual disabilities to attend these events together, just like everyone else. As an inclusionary practice, Best Buddies provides the ULTIMATE gift-friendship for all.
Currently, there are 92 members of our Best Buddies Program at Mountain Ridge High School, including peer buddies (typical peers) and buddies (intellectually disabled peers). MRHS Best Buddies events, to name a few, have included: BB Football Night, BB Barbecues, BB Ice Cream Social, BB Adopt-A-Family, BB Bowling Night, BB McDonald’s Night, BB T-Shirt Day, BB Pumpkin Painting Party, BB Coyotes Hockey Night, and, of course, we go to prom. We get decked out in formals and up-dos, tuxes and boutonnières, jump into our limousine, go out to a fancy dinner and then dance the night away.
Best Buddies has changed my life. As a volunteer, it has made me aware of how completely exhausting it is to work for a non-profit organization. As a special education teacher, it has opened my eyes up to the amazing educational opportunities available for a cross-over of academics and “real life” skills. As a person, it has enabled me to feel a complete joy and appreciation for the healing power of friendship.
Sincerely,
Melissa McCusker, M.Ed
To Whom it May Concern:
I am writing on behalf of the Best Buddies California program. My daughter Lauren Hammond, age 21 has been involved with Best Buddies for about 8 years. She has Asperger's Syndrome. Making friends was impossible for her. Lauren also has other disabilities but in comparison the inability to have a friend was the most heart breaking of all. Over the years, we've had her involved in all types of therapies to assist her in making life a little easier. Learning to be a friend has been the biggest disability for her. Despite being enrolled in social skills classes and group therapies for years...friendship still eluded her. None of these therapies gave her what she longed for the most...a friend...a buddy. For a child with Asperger's Syndrome, the task of interacting in a true "give and take" relationship is next to impossible. The therapies that teach them to do this take years. In the meantime, there is isolation, which keeps them in their own little world.
What is the most wonderful about this program is that it provides them with a "friend", a buddy. This buddy accepts them as they are, wherever they may be in their social skills development. They initiate conversation and show a genuine interest in our kids. They invite our kids to participate in activities that they would otherwise never have had, such as dances, picnics, pumpkin carving parties, etc. My daughter expresses love to very few people and included in that short list are two of her Best Buddies, Dalia and Peggy. The gift of friendship is priceless...we know this for a fact. This program gives our disabled kids something that can't be bought...a friend. Support for it's future must be protected and nurtured.
As parents of this special girl, we are most grateful to all of the young men and women who are buddies to people like our daughter. You may never know the true value of the time that you have so generously given to these kids...but we know. The lives of all involved in this program are enriched, including ours.
Thank you,
Lori Hammond
Los Angeles, CA
To Whom It May Concern:
My teenage daughter, Amanda, has been involved with the Best Buddies program for over three years now. Through the program she has increased her self-esteem, made some wonderful friends, and has been able to do so many fun social activities that I would not have been able to provide for her.
All of Amanda's Best Buddies' friends out of UCLA have been excellent, responsible, caring, and positive role models for her. She has loved the "older sister" quality of having a college-aged friend.
In addition, Amanda has had a steady boyfriend for the past year. Although she had met this disabled boy at her former school several years ago, through a Best Buddies social event, she was able to make contact with him again, become telephone friends, and eventually establish an appropriate girlfriend/boyfriend relationship. It is difficult enough for any young person to make and maintain friendships, but it is even more difficult for people with intellectual disabilities with their impaired social functioning to do so. Through Best buddies events and field trips, people with disabilities are able to have a satisfying and positive social life.
As a mother of a disabled young person, I feel that Best Buddies is one of the most effective, safe, and worthwhile social programs around. I would encourage all individuals and corporations to further support and fund this program as it makes all the difference in the lives of teenage and young adult disabled people.
Sincerely,
Kathy Bucuzzo
Los Angeles, CA
Best Buddies
By Stefanie Skoniecki
Margaret Mead once wrote, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.” Best Buddies International, a non-profit organization, has taken this statement to heart and has produced members that are changing the world—or at the very least, the world of many individuals.
Best Buddies International
Best Buddies was founded in 1989 by Anthony K. Shriver, son of Eunice Shriver (who founded Special Olympics). After seeing many college students volunteering for a weekend of Special Olympics, he questioned why “these relationships that are fostered on one weekend couldn’t happen on a year round basis.” Best Buddies, according to its mission statement, is dedicated to “enhancing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities by providing opportunities for one-to-one friendships and integrated employment.” Simply worded, Best Buddies pairs up students and citizens with community members who have intellectual disabilities. As defined by the American Association on Mental Retardation, one is considered to have an intellectual disability when one has an IQ below 70-75, significant limitations in at least two adaptive skill areas (communication, self-care, home living, social skills, etc.), and these conditions must have an onset during childhood years. Despite its relatively short existence, the program has spread to over 400 high schools and 300 college campuses worldwide, not to mention its middle school and citizens programs. This year alone, more than 50,000 people are involved in Best Buddies in some capacity—be they community members, organizers, or students.
Best Buddies Colleges
Focusing on Best Buddies Colleges, the effects of this program are remarkable. College chapters are run by a handful of people, mostly students. All chapters have a faculty advisor and a host site coordinator, whose responsibility is to facilitate communication between the college students and the community buddies who have intellectual disabilities. Besides these adult positions, student leaders include a College Buddy Director, a Membership Coordinator, an Activities Coordinator, a Treasurer, and an e-Buddies coordinator. The College Buddy Director (CBD) acts as the essential leader of the chapter, organizing and keeping in touch with both college and community buddies. CBD of the Elizabethtown College Chapter, Jenn Dotson, remarks on her experience with the program, “Best Buddies has changed my life for the better forever…. [My buddy, Jenny Francavilla] shows me that it’s the simple things in life that matter most.”
Since Best Buddies seeks to foster inclusion and natural social opportunities, there is also a leadership position for a community member with intellectual disabilities. This “Buddy Director” position gives a voice to the community members, as this role was created to provide those members with a representative. Further breakdown of the chapter includes college members, community members, and associate members (those college students who are not matched on a one-to-one basis).
The requirements for active participation in the club seem minimal, but they work to touch lives and build strong friendships. Students must have weekly contact (phone calls, email, etc.) with their buddies, and see them twice a month. Generally, the college chapter provides at least one group activity a month. Most members find that they go above and beyond the mandatory responsibilities because they become so close to their buddies. As with any other friend, students begin to call their buddies just to talk about their week or to rant about a bad day. Actor Kevin Spacey, speaker at the annual Best Buddies Ball, said, “It might be easy for people listening to understand why it’s so vital and important for those who are mentally and physically challenged…to be integrated into society and make a friend. But what I think young students…ought to know is when you get involved what you’ll get back from this experience will be so valuable to the course of your life…You’ll learn about compassion and understanding. Become a friend for no other reason than to make one.”
When asked how she would describe her buddy Duane Hazzard, student member Sara Krupka replied, “I love Best Buddies because my buddy can make me laugh. He has the best sense of humor!” The purpose of Best Buddies is not to create an obligatory friendship, but to create a solid, long-lasting true friendship between two people who otherwise might never have met. As college buddy Carly Elmer said, “Being a part of Best Buddies gives me a chance to make a difference in the life of someone whom I might not be able to interact with otherwise.”
Elizabethtown College Best Buddies Chapter
The Elizabethtown College Best Buddies Chapter, located in Central Pennsylvania, is just one example of this friendship phenomenon. Members are matched at an Ice Cream Social the Chapter holds each September, where buddies who have not seen each other over the summer have a chance to catch up. Many of the community buddies know each other from other events sponsored by the ARC of Dauphin County (such as bowling outings or summer camps). Even from this first outing, "[The benefits of this program] are evident on the smiles you see when the buddies interact and enjoy spending time with each other," said college member Megan Hilperts.
In October, the Chapter sponsors a Haunted House on campus for the buddies to walk through and in November, everyone comes to campus for a dinner in the banquet hall. Before the college students leave for Christmas Break, the whole chapter goes to Hershey Park for its holiday festivities-drinking hot cocoa, listening to Christmas Carols, and going on the handful of rides that are open. During the spring semester, the community members come to the college for a "Movie and Popcorn" night, and they also participate in a bowl-a-thon to raise money for the program. Before the semester ends in May, a Hawaiian luau is planned, complete with decorations, games, and snacks.
Best Buddies, on the collegiate level as well as other levels, is a necessary program in our society. 7.5 million people have intellectual disabilities in the United States alone. In the past, these members of our society have been segregated. Best Buddies is the only cohesive international program that provides so much to so many people. College buddy Laura Sardone proclaims "Best Buddies [is] where you make friends for life."
Nevertheless, the community buddies are not the only people affected by these interactions. It is hard to walk away from a group outing without a smile on your face and a more positive outlook on life. Best Buddies aims not to merely change the community buddies' lives, but also the students' and citizens'. As college member Kristin Booth says, "The unique relationship I have with my buddy [Yvette Francis] has not only positively impacted my buddy, but it has also touched my heart as well."
