The 2026 Friendship Walk season was one to remember! With unexpected weather challenges, extraordinary special guests, and 3/3 goals hit, it gave us the most action-packed spring!

Concord – Goal: $150,000. Raised: $150,000!

For the past ten years, Best Buddies New Hampshire has hosted the Concord Friendship Walk at the State House on Mother’s Day weekend. In typical New England fashion, the weather is unpredictable each year, and this year was no different! We had another rainy morning, a little cold, and gloomy skies – but that did not dampen the spirits of the 600 walkers who showed up to walk for inclusion!

We saw old and new supporters arriving with smiles on their faces, which made our staff and volunteers feel so energized! The Best Buddies community is resilient in the face of obstacles, and bad weather was no different! Hundreds of families, students, and businesses returned to support for another year, along with brand new companies, schools, and community members who found us for the first time. We’re so grateful for every person who spent their Saturday with us, fundraised for our programs, and showed once again that New Hampshire believes in making our state more inclusive.

One of the highlights of the walk was the beautiful energy brought by our special guest, Best Buddies Global Ambassador Kiontis Gallion, who traveled from Wisconsin to help us spread our mission! His positive spirit and magnetic personality became an essential part of the day’s success.

Another highlight to share – Congratulations to the incredible Merrimack High School chapter who raised $7,411! This absolutely incredible chapter will get to keep the Friendship Walk Top School trophy for the next school year, and continue doing the amazing work they do for all the students at their school!

The cherry on top of this spring for Concord is that we hit our fundraising goal! The goal was ambitious, but because of generous supporters and this incredible community, we raised $150,000! These funds are essential to continue growing our programs, keep introducing Best Buddies to new schools, and help individuals with disabilities thrive in leadership roles.

North Conway – Goal: $15,000. Raised: $39,782!

For the past few years, individuals, companies, and schools in the Mount Washington Valley have become more and more involved with Best Buddies inclusive programs. So, we decided to host a Friendship Walk there! Many folks were not able to travel to the Concord or Exeter walks for the past few years, so hosting a Friendship Walk in North Conway felt like the natural decision for this year.

And what a great decision it was! Over 100 people showed up to Tin Mountain Conservation Center on May 30th on a very uncertain morning. Flood warnings, gray skies, and muddy grounds made our staff and committee nervous about the turnout, and the community absolutely showed up. The Valley showed once again how much they believe in inclusion, and the sun came out for our walk on the Accessible Nature Trail! It ended up being the perfect day filled with delicious food from generous vendors, live music, and the most gorgeous venue that helped us be so flexible with the forecast.

Attendees were inspired by the mission speaker who we heard from during opening ceremonies, Caroline Yahna. In her speech, Caroline talked about the importance of a supportive community, and how leaving high school can pose a unique challenge for individuals with disabilities and their social opportunities. Caroline’s involvement with Best Buddies has led to public speaking trainings and spreading the word about our programs, and we are so glad she could join us for the inaugural walk!

Congratulations to Kennett High School for winning the top school trophy (the first one ever in North Conway)! They raised $1,805 led by the incredible Camryn Jillette’s fundraising efforts! We’re so impressed by this performance, and so thankful for the friendships formed through the passion for our programs!

Our original fundraising goal was $15,000, and throughout the spring we raised the goal twice because our walkers could not take their feet off the gas! We are still blown away by this incredible support, and we will continue to grow our programs in the northern region of the state, because everyone deserves to feel like they belong.

Exeter – Goal: $66,000. Raised: $66,200!

For our final Friendship Walk of the season, we were gifted with the presence of two very special guests! Global Ambassador Kiontis Gallion returned again to New Hampshire to share his story, and once again he brought the amazing positive energy we adore! Hearing his story of how he discovered Best Buddies in high school as a student who needed it, and it has now led to him traveling all over the U.S. to spread inclusion was so inspiring! We’re so glad to have a new friend in Kiontis.

Our second extra special guest was the winner of CBS’ Survivor 50, Aubry Bracco! As a seacoast resident, Aubry stands with Best Buddies’ mission to create a more inclusive New Hampshire. During our opening ceremonies, she shared about the importance of a “tribe,” and how when life gets hard, having your “best buddy” gets you through.

Aubry was also thrilled to announce our top school fundraising team, which had the closest race we’ve ever seen (as little as a $20 difference) for at least 3 weeks leading up to the walk. This year’s champion team was Heronfield Academy & Birchtree Center! We’re so inspired by this team because it encompasses the true meaning of inclusion – two schools who are chapter-best-buddies! They raised $2,580 for Best Buddies programs in the seacoast, and we’re so energized to keep growing our programs and form even more inclusive friendships in the community.

We had the most fun zones we’ve ever had at this Seacoast walk – 18 groups or businesses got involved on the route handing out goodies for our walkers and cheering them on! The community is so special for this walk in particular because of the strong involvement from businesses along Water Street and the surrounding areas. It just would not be the same without all of their incredible energy!

Best Buddies New Hampshire finally got our sunny walk day in Exeter after two chilly and gloomy walks in Concord and North Conway, and it was the perfect way to wrap up this season!

Thank You!

We can’t thank our community enough – volunteers, sponsors, schools, advisors, parents, vendors, and everyone in between who helped our Friendship Walk season be the most successful we’ve had in a long time. We are inspired by this support, and we are already working hard to grow our programs throughout New Hampshire.

So, thank you! And we will see you for a walk next spring!