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Friendship, inclusion, and the power of showing up: How Best Buddies is building belonging in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley

Friendship, inclusion, and the power of showing up: How Best Buddies is building belonging in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley

Friendship, inclusion, and the power of showing up: How Best Buddies is building belonging in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley

May 22, 2025 | Colorado News, News, News Front Page |
Two teenage girls smile while standing outdoors on a sunny day. One wears a blue shirt and a dark Best Buddies baseball cap, and the other wears a light green crop top and denim shorts. They stand close together, with arms around each other, showing friendship and inclusion. The background is filled with greenery and blurred buildings.

Rachael Fischer is a skier, a storyteller, and a state director with a mission. The Indiana native now leads Best Buddies in Colorado, part of a global nonprofit born from the Kennedy-Shriver legacy, that’s redefining inclusion for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). We met for coffee and our conversation quickly shifted from ski stories to something powder day deep — how one organization is transforming communities, one friendship at a time.

Read the full article here.

Tags: Anthony Kennedy ShriveraspenBest Buddies Friendship WalkBest Buddies in ColoradoChampion of the year galacolorado friendship walkfamily supportFriendship Programglobalinclusion for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)integrated employmentleadership developmentone-to-one friendships
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