Students to Celebrate Friendship and Service to the Best Buddies Mission
Miami, Florida, April 7, 2017— Best Buddies International, a groundbreaking nonprofit founded in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver to establish a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), is excited to announce the Best Buddies South Florida Friendship Ball on April 22nd at Marlins Park. The South Florida Friendship Ball is a prom-like event offered for free to 75 Best Buddies Friendship chapters in schools throughout South Florida.
The Friendship Ball is a celebration of over 700 one-to-one friendship matches made during the school year in South Florida. The event will also honor students and teachers for collectively giving over 120,000 hours of service to furthering the Best Buddies mission. The Ball allows students of all abilities to enjoy an inclusive dance experience.
Best Buddies South Florida is excited to start a new tradition at this year’s ball by hosting a buddy pair court and crowning an inaugural “Buddy Pair of the Year.” The court will be made up of outstanding buddy pairs who have shown a commitment to the Best Buddies mission. The “Buddy Pair of the Year” will be chosen by members of the South Florida Advisory Board and will be announced on the night of the ball.
This year’s masquerade themed ball, will run from 6:30pm-9:30pm, and is expecting nearly 1,000 students with and without IDD, their parents, and teachers, from schools participating in Best Buddies School Friendship and Promoter programs in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Returning to the ball this year will be DJ Joey Jax who will provide musical entertainment. Students will enjoy an inflatable photo-booth, dancing, dinner and the ability to create a masquerade mask on the night of the ball.
This is a one-of-a-kind event where students come together in the spirit of friendship for a magical night of dancing, and celebrating a successful school year!
ABOUT BEST BUDDIES INTERNATIONAL:
Best Buddies® is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Founded in 1989 by Anthony K. Shriver, Best Buddies is a vibrant organization that has grown from one original chapter to more than 2,300 middle school, high school, and college chapters worldwide. Today, Best Buddies’ eight formal programs — Middle Schools, High Schools, Colleges, Citizens, e-Buddies® , Jobs, Ambassadors, and Promoters — engage participants in each of the 50 states and in over 50 countries, positively impacting the lives of more than 1.1 million people with and without disabilities around the world. In many cases, as a result of their involvement with Best Buddies, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities secure rewarding jobs, live on their own, become inspirational leaders, and make lifelong friendships. For more information, please visit www.bestbuddies.org, facebook.com/bestbuddies or twitter.com/bestbuddies.
For volunteer interest:
Stephanie Chapman
StephanieChapman@bestbuddies.org
For media inquiries (including requests for credentials):
Madari Pendas
305-374-2233, ext. 203
MadariPendas@BestBuddies.org
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