My name is Morgan Flynn and I am a senior at Prairie High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This will be my 3rd year in Best Buddies and it’s crazy to think that time has gone so fast. While being in a leadership role for Best Buddies at my high school, I have attended the Best Buddies Leadership Conference at Indiana University twice, once the summer before my junior year and then the summer before my senior year.
Andrew and Mercedes were matched through Best Buddies in their freshman year of high school, and now four years later, their friendship continues to flourish. They started as mere friends of course but quickly grew close to each other.
It is very important to Jack that people with IDD never feel alone. “Do not doubt yourself, and be confident in who you are. Let your disability make you stronger. Just because someone looks different, or has a disability, doesn’t make them truly different. It does not define who they are!
Last summer, Jack had the opportunity to attend the Best Buddies Leadership Conference where he participated as an Ambassador. Throughout the weekend, he had the opportunity to work on writing a speech that he would later share with over 2,300 conference participants.
Paige Petersen, the 2016-2017 Chapter President for the Waukee High School Best Buddies chapter first met her buddy Brian in the sixth grade. At the time, both Paige and Brian were attending Diamond Canyon Elementary in Phoenix, Arizona.
Sam and Jessica were first matched at Drake University three years ago. Since that time, their friendship has become more than just meeting the Best Buddies commitment their club involvement expects.
Best Buddies Month is a time for Best Buddies participants to reflect on the importance of friendship, jobs, and the development of future leaders. Most importantly, it is a time to show the world the significance of these essentials in every individual’s life.
The Drake University Best Buddies chapter is coming into the 2016-2017 school year on a high. The 2015-2016 officer team, of which Jessica Campbell was Vice President, led the chapter admirably, proven by their winning of several accolades at last year’s Friendship Walk, including College Chapter of the Year, Chapter President of the Year, and Buddy Pair of the Year.
In the spring, Best Buddies Iowa held two Friendship Walks to raise awareness and funding for our programs in the communities that we serve. The Best Buddies Friendship Walk:Eastern Iowa (BBFW) was held on April 16 at Terry Trueblood Park in Iowa City.
On Sunday, August 14, 2016, Best Buddies Iowa (BBIA) hosted its inaugural Golf Outing at A.H. Blank Golf Course in Des Moines, Iowa. 36 foursomes paid to play a round of 18 holes, with all proceeds benefitting the mission of inclusion and friendship for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in the state of Iowa.