Best Buddies in California Newsletter: November 2021 Nov 3, 2021 | California News | Message Preview We have so much to be thankful for here at Best Buddies in California! We have the most wonderful supporters and volunteers who work with us on creating our mission of inclusion. We really couldn’t do it without you! Thank you! In the Thanksgiving spirit with wanted to give a special thank you to a few of our supporters. Thankful for YOU! We have so much to be thankful for here at Best Buddies in California! We have the most wonderful supporters and volunteers who work with us on creating our mission of inclusion. We really couldn’t do it without you! Thank you! In the Thanksgiving spirit with wanted to give a special thank you to a few of our supporters. Kaytana would like to thank her supervisors! Kaytana is a Best Buddies Jobs Participant and has been working at Starbucks as a Barista for 6 years. Kaytana’s coworkers planned a special birthday celebration for her at work like they have done every year since she joined the team in 2015. Her Starbucks family decorates the store, makes her a card, and buys her a cake. Kaytana loves to join her coworkers at various work outings because it makes her feel included and part of a big family. Kaytana shared, “I would like to thank my supervisors for helping me out through all the hard times at work and the good times. More importantly, I would love to thank my district manager, Yami, for allowing me to work with all the wonderful Starbuck partners! Finally, I would like to give a special thanks to my two favorite supervisors, Justin and Chris, for giving me a lot of confidence in the workplace.” Kaytana feels so supported by her supervisors and knows they are helping her reach new heights! Kaytana is full of gratitude for her Starbucks team and shared, “If I did not work at Starbucks, I would not have had the wonderful mentors or supervisors as much as I do at my job.” Sophia would like to thank their advisor! Dougherty Valley High School in San Ramon opened its Best Buddies chapter in 2018. Since then, they’ve partnered with the Ableism Awareness Club on campus and connected with the Best Buddies Jobs program to host mock interviews just to name a few ways they keep spreading inclusion. They are even in the process of starting their own podcast! They continue to grow as a chapter as they promote disability awareness and advocacy on campus and in their community. The chapter members are able to make this possible due to the support they receive from their wonderful advisor, Ms. Manley. Sophia is the Chapter President and shared with us that, "Ms. Manley is an English and AVID teacher at Dougherty Valley High School. She has been the chapter advisor for Best Buddies for two years now! Thank you so much Ms. Manley for being so kind to our buddies, giving us wise advice, and for always supporting our chapter!” Thank you to Ms. Manley for being such an engaged and supportive advisor! Sarah and Stefanie would like to thank all our Champions! Each fall Best Buddies holds the Champion of the Year Gala in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Champion of the Year unites and recognizes our most active leaders in the name of inclusion. By devoting their passion, talents, and networks to Best Buddies through a friendly philanthropic competition, our Champions lay the foundation for transformative change in our community. Our Directors of Development, Sarah and Stefanie, have worked closely with the 23 Champions as they work towards making a more inclusive world. Sarah shared, “I am incredibly inspired by all our Champions. They are true leaders for inclusion. We are so grateful for their ongoing dedication to the Best Buddies mission.” Thank you to our 23 Champions who continue to stand for inclusion. We love our Volunteers Meet Christine Val, Chapter Advisor Volunteer in Sacramento, CA What is your favorite Best Buddies memory? So far, Club Rush has been my favorite memory. It was nice to see how many students on campus want to be a part of Best Buddies. Why is inclusion important to you? Inclusion is important to me because all people deserve to have the same opportunities in life. What would you say to someone who is considering volunteering with Best Buddies? I encourage all people who are interested in volunteering for Best Buddies to sign up! It is a fun learning experience for everyone involved. Get Involved with Best Buddies Do you want to learn more about Best Buddies and how to get involved? Join our November orientation! In just 30 minutes, you will learn about our mission, programs, and local volunteer opportunities. Plus, you’ll get to meet other awesome individuals interested in making an impact! November Volunteer Orientation Tuesday, November 16th 5:30-6:00 pm on Zoom LEARN MORE Should you have any questions, contact RichardNakai@bestbuddies.org. To receive the latest Best Buddies news and announcements, click here. Tags: California News 6 Share You also might be interested in Best Buddies in California Newsletter: March 2022 Mar 18, 2022 Happy Best Buddies Month! Best Buddies Leadership Conference 2022 Aug 13, 2022 Local Leadership Conferences were a HUGE success! Meet Rob, Best Buddies Volunteer from the Bay Area Jan 1, 2022 "I love advocating for people with IDD and seeing the impact that Best Buddies has on their lives."