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.
My name is Cory Schneider and I want to tell you why I love Best Buddies. Last summer I got to go to the Best Buddies Leadership Conference at Indiana University as an Ambassador. One thing that inspired me was hearing people’s speeches at the conference. After hearing their stories, I was inspired to be a leader.
We just wrapped up the 27th Annual Best Buddies Leadership Conference in Bloomington, Indiana! This year, the Iowa Delegation consisted of 50 student leaders who spent the weekend engaging with Best Buddies leaders from around the country. Throughout the weekend, attendees had the opportunity to hear from amazing speakers, be […]
Merrill Middle School Best Buddies organized the first ever Respect Rally at their school on April 27, 2016. The advisors and student leaders from the chapter facilitated an inclusion movement, where they asked every school club to participate in an assembly dedicated to respect.
Mason Rumpf "My life before Best Buddies was pretty much the same. But because of Best Buddies, I have more friends. It has taught me a bunch about how everyone is the same, no matter what happens. I have also learned to lead more. It's awesome. I play power soccer. [...]
Before joining Best Buddies, I had never really considered how much friendship can mean to someone. I knew that friendship is important, but didn’t know how it could change someone’s life. I joined Best Buddies because one of my younger neighbors has a developmental disability. I was going into my […]
Mason Rumpf graduated from Johnston High School last year and was a participant in the Best Buddies chapter while there. During the 2014-2015 school year, Mason was selected to be in the Local Leadership Council, one of only eight student leaders in the Des Moines metro to be invited. Mason […]
The Roosevelt Best Buddies Chapter is off to a successful start to the school year! The student leaders spent a recent Saturday evening promoting the Best Buddies mission at Ingersoll Live, an annual street festival that features more than 30 vendor booths as well as other entertainment and food. The […]
Three Best Buddies Iowa Friendship Balls were held across the state throughout the months of March and April. On March 28, the Des Moines Friendship Ball was held at Embassy Club – West in West Des Moines. Chapters from as far away as Harlan and Ottumwa were in attendance, helping […]
On Saturday, April 18, Best Buddies Iowa kicked off Friendship Walk season by hosting the Best Buddies Friendship Walk (BBFW) at City Park in Iowa City, raising a total of $8,000 for Best Buddies Iowa programs!
In Iowa, Best Buddies Month was marked by the launching of the I Choose Campaign, which encouraged participants to make the choice to be a friend, leader, and to take the pledge to not use the r-word. The driving force behind this initiative was #BBIAIChoose, a state specific hashtag that provided […]