“It is hard to think back to a time when I felt so alone and had no friends. Best Buddies has given me the opportunity to come out of my shell and meet people and have friends.”

“My name is Joshua Mendoza, and I am the Buddy Director at Lahainaluna High School in Maui, Hawaii. My Buddy is Markus-Alan Bettencourt…

Lahainaluna students take Best Buddies program to heart with life-changing results.

College students gathered at local Bowling Alley to create one-to-one friendship buddy matches with host site participants from Self Advocacy Advisory Council (SAAC).

Meet Samantha Pires and Stephany Yee-Autele, our dynamic duo. They first met in 2016 at Kapolei High School. They have embraced the true meaning of a one-to-one friendship in only one year.

Hi, I am Patrick McGoldrick, and I am a Best Buddies Ambassador. I would like to tell you about my journey with Best Buddies, and how the organization has helped me improve so much in my life.

Oahu hosted its fifth annual Best Buddies Friendship Walk on March 11. The event took place at Magic Island, Ala Moana Beach Park. 175 participants were in attendance that included Leeward and Central school chapters: Kapolei HS, James Campbell HS, Pearl City HS and Aiea HS who assisted in volunteering their time at activity booths.

Agencies statewide were represented at the Honolulu State Capital Building on March 11, 2017, to advocate on behalf of Disabilities Awareness Month.

Maui hosted its first annual Block Party on March 4th at Maui Mall to spread awareness our mission. Huge Mahalo to Heidi and Da Shrimp Hale for spearheading the event and getting so many vendors on board. Local vendors donated a portion of daily sales to our programs.

Chandler’s favorite part of being in Best Buddies is “meeting people who are understanding and compassionate enough to go that extra mile and get to know and work with people with IDD.” She and her buddy, Chase, went to preschool together and have known each other for 13 years.