• Why We Matter
    • WHAT WE DO
      • Mission
      • Impact
      • Vision and Goals
      • History
    • PROGRAMS
      • Friendship
      • Jobs
      • Leadership Development
      • Living
      • Family Support
    • MISSION IN ACTION
      • Featured Profiles
      • Videos
  • Take Action
    • Join a Program
    • Hire a Buddy
    • Volunteer
    • Donate
    • Attend an Event
    • Advocate
    • Join Team Rosemary
  • Find Programs
    • United States
    • International
  • Media
    • News
    • Press Releases
    • Blog
  • Our Supporters
    • Celebrity Ambassadors
    • Corporations
    • Foundations
    • Government
    • Team Relentless
    • Top Fundraising Teams
  • About Us
    • OUR TEAM
      • Founder and Chairman
      • Board of Directors
      • Executive Team
      • Office & Staff Directory
      • Career Opportunities
    • FINANCIAL INFO
      • Annual Report
      • Where The Dollar Goes
      • IRS Form 990
  • Donate
  • Attend an Event
  • Shop
  • Fine Art
    • Fine Art Collection
    • David Yarrow Photography
  • Members Area
Skip to Content
Donate
Members Area
  • Fine Art
    ▼
    • Fine Art Collection
    • David Yarrow Photography
Shop
Best Buddies International Best Buddies International
  • Why We Matter
    • WHAT WE DO
      • Mission
      • Impact
      • Vision and Goals
      • History
    • PROGRAMS
      • Friendship
      • Jobs
      • Leadership Development
      • Living
      • Family Support
    • MISSION IN ACTION
      • Featured Profiles
      • Videos
  • Take Action
    • Join a Program
    • Hire a Buddy
    • Volunteer
    • Donate
    • Attend an Event
    • Advocate
    • Join Team Rosemary
  • Find Programs
    • United States
    • International
  • Media
    • News
    • Press Releases
    • Blog
  • Our Supporters
    • Celebrity Ambassadors
    • Corporations
    • Foundations
    • Government
    • Team Relentless
    • Top Fundraising Teams
  • About Us
    • OUR TEAM
      • Founder and Chairman
      • Board of Directors
      • Executive Team
      • Office & Staff Directory
      • Career Opportunities
    • FINANCIAL INFO
      • Annual Report
      • Where The Dollar Goes
      • IRS Form 990
  • Donate
  • Attend an Event
  • Shop
  • Fine Art
    • Fine Art Collection
    • David Yarrow Photography
  • Members Area
Home: Best Buddies International logo
DONATE

Back to School with Connie Mehlman: 20 Years of Impactful Volunteering

Back to School with Connie Mehlman: 20 Years of Impactful Volunteering

Back to School with Connie Mehlman: 20 Years of Impactful Volunteering

Aug 15, 2023 | News, News Front Page, News Sidebar, Ohio News |
Connie Mehlman Award Winning Advisor

Zimbabwe seems like the last place on Earth where this year’s Best Buddies Advisor of the Year would have started her 20-year Best Buddies journey.

“In the late 1980s, I was a Special Olympics coach,” Connie Mehlman recalled. “I had gone to a friend’s wedding in Zimbabwe, and when I was there, I got myself invited to the Zimbabwe Special Olympics. When I came home, I wrote Eunice Shriver (Anthony Kennedy-Shriver’s mom) a letter, and she got back to me.”

She then received a phone call that, while she did not realize it then, would change her life.

“Years later, a student from Miami (Ohio) University called me and said, ‘I was told if we wanted to start Best Buddies on campus, you would be the one to reach out to,’” Mehlman, who recently retired after 28 years of working for the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities, continued. “When I saw that Best Buddies had the Shriver name attached, I knew it would be a good program.”

Twenty years later, it was clear that both she and the student were right.

“I’ve loved every minute,” she said.

Mehlman started the Friendship chapter at Miami University in 2003 and has been its advisor since its inception. Over the last two decades, the chapter has had more than 3,300 members and has created over 885 one-to-one friendships.

Mehlman did a bit of everything as an advisor: she recruited individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), identified promising students and taught them how to be chapter leaders, planned school- and community-based events and managed fundraising efforts.

“I like being involved, but I was probably a little over-involved in the beginning,” she mentioned with a laugh.

Mehlman truly understood the scope of her work when a former student, who was paired in a one-to-one friendship with a man with Downs syndrome, told her he was having a child with the same condition.

“He was able to see all the possibilities for his son,” she said. “Because of his participation in my chapter, he was not afraid of having a child with Downs syndrome.”

The impact that Mehlman, and many other advisors like her, have on students clearly transcends their time in school. For example, Jenny Allen, a former student of Melhman’s, now works as the senior director for international programs at Best Buddies.

“Connie is so supportive and dedicated to the Best Buddies mission,” Allen said. “Seeing her dedication motivated me – she and I have stayed in touch for the last 17 years, and I feel so grateful to continue working with her.”

Currently, Mehlman serves as the chair for Best Buddies in Ohio’s advisory board. Mehlman is also in a one-to-one friendship with her buddy Mandy as a member of the Butler County Citizens program.

“The world is a better place for people with IDD because Connie is in it,” Catlin Skufca, Best Buddies in Ohio’s state director, said. “She has inspired countless leaders to make an impact.”

With a new school year quickly approaching, Mehlman believes everyone has a place and a purpose within their school’s Friendship chapter.

“Whether you are in elementary school or college, Best Buddies will be one of the most welcoming groups you join,” Mehlman promised. “By joining your school’s chapter, you can impact a life, and to make real change, that is all it takes.”

And, Mehlman has one request for those who do not have a Friendship chapter at their school: “Start one.”

Tags: AdvisorawardBest Buddies in Ohiovolunteer
5
Share

You also might be interested in

Best Buddies Hosts Friendship Balls Across the Country

Best Buddies Hosts Friendship Balls Across the Country

Mar 29, 2024

For people with disabilities, going to a prom is not a guarantee, which is where the Friendship Ball comes in.

Friendship Friday: Tiffany and Brooklynn

Friendship Friday: Tiffany and Brooklynn

Mar 1, 2024

When a Best Buddies Friendship chapter came to Edgewood High School in Ohio last fall, it changed the lives of Tiffany Schatzle and Brooklynn Bowers.

A Year in Review: Best Buddies California’s Remarkable 2024

A Year in Review: Best Buddies California’s Remarkable 2024

Jan 31, 2025

As we reflect back on 2024, we celebrate a year of profound growth and achievement for Best Buddies California.

Latest News

A Note from the Chairmen of Best Buddies and Special Olympics: The Gifts of People with Autism

A Note from the Chairmen of Best Buddies and Special Olympics: The Gifts of People with Autism

April 22, 2025

As we come to the end of Autism Awareness Month, we want to join with self-advocates and friends and family members around the world in celebrating the gifts of people with autism.

The Inaugural Best Buddies Queen Stage: Palo Alto Presented By Safeway Foundation Raises $2 Million For Best Buddies International

The Inaugural Best Buddies Queen Stage: Palo Alto Presented By Safeway Foundation Raises $2 Million For Best Buddies International

April 16, 2025

Event Proceeds To Support Best Buddies’ Mission Of Inclusion For Individuals With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities
PALO ALTO, CA, April 15, 2025 – On April 11-12, Best Buddies International hosted the Best Buddies Queen Stage: Palo Alto, a charity bike ride, that commenced and concluded at the illustrious Rosewood Sand Hill in Menlo Park, CA. The event raised $2 million for Best Buddies programs.

Thousands put their best foot forward at Ed Ansin Best Buddies Friendship Walk at loanDepot Park

Thousands put their best foot forward at Ed Ansin Best Buddies Friendship Walk at loanDepot Park

April 7, 2025

MIAMI (WSVN) - Thousands of people woke up bright and early to put their best foot forward, all in the name of friendship.

Best Buddies International Logo

Best Buddies International

Global Headquarters
100 Southeast Second St, Suite 2200
Miami, FL 33131

Toll Free: 1-800-89 BUDDY (28339)

  • Find a US Program
  • Find an International Program
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Career Opportunities
  • Office & Staff Directory
newsletter
Want to connect
with Best Buddies?

Sign up for our emails

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
Privacy & Accessibility Statement
©2025 Best buddies international
A 501(c)(3) Organization
Prev Next