Friendship Friday: Maggie and Lauren

Maggie and Lauren in dresses and pageant attire. — Maggie (left) and Lauren (right).

Bedford, NH, Feb. 23, 2024 — Friendships, like the one between Maggie Lemay and Lauren Hoepp, can change lives.

The duo met through Best Buddies Citizens in New Hampshire, a one-to-one friendship program for adults ran by Best Buddies International, a nonprofit dedicated to creating opportunities for friendship, employment, leadership development and inclusive living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Since being paired in the program in 2022, their friendship has only blossomed. Together, they love to talk over FaceTime, get Starbucks on the weekends, have slumber parties and support each other in beauty pageants.

For Lauren, Maggie has been a “best friend.” Prior to being involved in Best Buddies, Lauren was bullied, had few friends and faced the social isolation that many people with IDD endure.

“Maggie has really changed my life for the better,” Lauren said. “To be matched with a buddy means the world to me.”

Maggie has benefited from her participation in Best Buddies in more ways than she originally imagined.

“I think what surprised me was how much I needed [Lauren],” Maggie said. “She’s become the person that I do fun things with, that I share my worries and my joy with. She has been my best friend.”

Maggie and Lauren’s friendship has been so inspirational that the two were recognized at New Hampshire’s Best Buddies Champion of the Year Gala in 2023.

“They go above and beyond for each other,” Sara Anselmo, the deputy director of communications and stewardship for Best Buddies in New Hampshire, said. “They believe this friendship has changed their lives and their bond is a true joy to witness.”

To watch a video on Maggie and Lauren’s amazing friendship, click here.

About Best Buddies
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, leadership development, inclusive living, and family support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Founded in 1989 by Anthony K. Shriver, Best Buddies is a vibrant organization that has grown from one original chapter to nearly 3,000 middle school, high school, and college chapters worldwide. Today, Best Buddies’ 12 formal programs — Elementary Schools, Middle Schools, High Schools, Colleges, Citizens, e-Buddies®, Jobs, Ambassadors, Promoters, Transitions, Inclusive Living and Eunie’s Buddies— engage participants in each of the 50 states and in 45 countries, positively impacting the lives of nearly one 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 bestbuddies.org or connect with us via Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.