Best Buddies Salt Lake Citizens was proud to join this year’s Unified 5K with AdaptX as a community vendor, spending the morning connecting with participants, sharing the Best Buddies mission, and celebrating the power of inclusion.

The Unified 5K was created with a simple goal: to ensure everyone has the opportunity to experience movement, friendship, and belonging. Inspired by a friendship formed through Best Buddies and Special Olympics, the event has grown into a community tradition that promotes accessible fitness while bringing people of all abilities together.

Throughout the event, members of Best Buddies Salt Lake Citizens welcomed visitors to their booth, where they shared information about the Citizens program and how people can get involved. Attendees learned about Best Buddies’ mission to create one-to-one friendships, develop leaders, and build more inclusive communities where individuals with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities can form meaningful connections.

The event was about much more than crossing a finish line. Families, athletes, volunteers, and community organizations came together to celebrate inclusion, whether they were running, walking, cheering on participants, or simply spending time with one another. The energy throughout the morning reflected what makes events like the Unified 5K so special: everyone belongs.

For Best Buddies Salt Lake Citizens members, the event was also an opportunity to reconnect with familiar faces, meet new friends, and introduce others to the impact of the organization. Every conversation helped spread awareness of the importance of friendship, acceptance, and creating spaces where everyone feels valued and included.

Best Buddies Utah is grateful to AdaptX and the Unified 5K organizers for creating an event that brings the community together around a shared commitment to accessibility and inclusion. Partnerships like these continue to strengthen communities and inspire more people to become advocates for meaningful connection.

As Best Buddies Utah continues to expand opportunities for friendship and inclusion, events like the Unified 5K serve as a reminder that every step taken together helps build a more welcoming community one where everyone has the opportunity to belong.