On Saturday, April 26th, over 1,800 Best Buddies friends gathered on the National Mall for the Friendship Walk in Washington, DC to celebrate inclusion, friendship, and everything people with disabilities are capable of.

Eileen Whelan of WJLA joined Best Buddies for her second year as the Friendship Walk emcee, welcoming the walkers and getting everyone ready for a fantastic day.

Best Buddies chapter leaders Brady from Centreville High School began the day with a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem. Jean Carlos, a Buddy Director at Washington-Liberty High School spoke about how Best Buddies helped him develop as a leader.

“When I started at Washington-Liberty High School and discovered Best Buddies, I knew that I had finally found a place where I could stay and feel supported. I met friends who fully accepted me, and I no longer felt alone. This year I was elected to be the Buddy Director for the Washington-Liberty chapter. As Buddy Director, I am never late to chapter meetings, I help develop activities and fundraisers, and I always make speeches at the end of each meeting to keep members motivated.”

Jean Carlos’s speech definitely got the walkers motivated as well! Next, a crowd favorite Laurent Amzallag, of Yala Fitness lead everyone in a lively dance sequence and warm up.

The 2025 Friendship Walk Grand Marshals Nathan, a student at the Davis Career Center, and Washington Commanders guard #76 Sam Cosmi got everyone to the start line and led the way! Volunteers cheered on walkers with pop poms, bubbles, colored beads, and fun signs. They also encouraged walkers to write their best wishes on the Class of 2025 signs.

Best Buddies in Virginia & DC State Ambassador Abby welcomed everyone back with a beautiful speech about how the color purple represents her Best Buddies journey.

“As someone with a processing disorder, learning hasn’t always come easily. Reading and writing used to be tough for me, but I’ve worked hard and have accomplished great things. One of these accomplishments is standing here today, in front of thousands of people, reading a speech that I wrote. Although I may do things a little more slowly sometimes, I accomplish my goals, and I do it with love. 

“Purple, the color of Best Buddies, has taken on a new meaning in my eyes. For me, purple represents friendship, growth, and inclusion. Purple knows that each person brings value to this world, no matter their abilities or challenges.”

There are many people like Abby whose words and actions inspire us to create change. This year, we were excited to honor two of these individuals with brand new awards.

The 2025 Transitions Advocate of the Year Award went to Theresa Piccolo of the Davis Career Center. Theresa has been Best Buddies Transitions biggest supporter since day one – and her students’ biggest hero. She shines in her advocacy for her students and continually searches for new opportunities that will support their growth. With the support and advocacy of Theresa, Best Buddies Transitions is now in four different classrooms at The Davis Career Center and has expanded into Yorktown High School and we have taught over 100 students. Thank you and congratulations, Teresa!

The inaugural Spirit of Friendship Award went to Issa Kaddissi of Your Peeps Media. Issa has been a long-time friend of Best Buddies in Virginia & DC, donating his time and talent for the past six years. Issa always answer the call to action, showing up at every event, rain or shine, ready to capture the joy and mission of our programs in action. He embodies kindness, patience, and heart. It simply wouldn’t be a Best Buddies event without Issa capturing every friendly smile, every joyful interaction and making sure the Spirit of Best Buddies Friendship is seen everywhere for years to come! Thank you and congratulations, Issa!

The awards don’t stop there! We’re excited to celebrate the top individual and community fundraisers. Thank you all for sharing your Best Buddies stories and engaging with your communities!

Congratulations to the top overall individual fundraiser Shannen Coffin who once again raised an incredible total of $31,335, almost $10K more than he raised last year! Shannen is also the top National individual fundraiser.

Congratulations to the other top individual fundraisers! Maddy Siegel from National Cathedral School was the top student fundraiser with $6,528. Brandon Elledge from Holland & Knight was the top corporate fundraiser. Beth Bruns Calvo with Team Ellie was the top friends and family fundraiser with $3,910. Brandon and Beth are also on the Virginia & DC Advisory Board!

Best Buddies in Virginia & DC is proud to be home to four of the top ten National fundraising teams, Navy Federal Credit Union (1), Emeritus (2), St. Albans Bulldogs (8), and Holland & Knight (9).

Best Buddies Virginia & DC Citizens took home the Washington, DC award for top friends and family team for another year. The Citizens team is very competitive and is very proud of their efforts raising $9,088. Navy Federal Credit Union took home the award for the top corporate team with $33,220 raised.

The Best Buddies school chapters did an exceptional job getting their communities involved and everyone truly shined! This was an incredibly competitive year, but ultimately St. Albans School was the top team with $20,980. For their wonderful efforts, the won bragging rights and a Max’s Best Ice Cream party! In another exciting competition, Bishop O’Connell High School won the annual Bishop’s Cup award, raising $10,892.

Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor, the Embassy of the State Qatar. Thank you to our Friendship Sponsor, Bloomberg Philanthropies. Thank you to our Legacy Sponsors, TCMA (A Drew Company), Jim Feldman & Natalie Wexler, Navy Federal Credit Union, Max’s Best Ice Cream, Rosetta Bakery, and MOD Pizza. Thank you to our Community Sponsor, Holland & Knight. Thank you to our Inclusion Sponsors, Museum of the Bible, Malik Foundation, Eurest & ESFM, and Wegmans. Thank you to our Leadership Sponsor, Team 980, Audacy, Destination DC, and Total Wine & More. Thank you to our Buddy Sponsors, RiverFront Wealth Advisors, Dynamis Inc., Potomac Pizza, Capital One Park, Bartolozzi Team at CMG Home Loans, and Behavior Frontiers. Thank you to our in-kind & food sponsors, SillyShotz, Your Peeps Media, Spirit Drumline, CheerDC, Coca-Cola, and We Are Artistic.

Thank you to our incredible volunteers who made this event possible. We are so grateful for their dedication to our mission of inclusion. They got up early and met us at 6 am on the National Mall to set up activities and tents. They stayed friendly and positive during the rain and ensured a five-start experience with a smooth registration tent, easy t-shirt pick-up, and fantastic food tent. Their cheer and spirit made this event the best one yet.

Click here to see all the photos from the Friendship Walk in Washington, DC. Credits to the talented Issa Kaddissi from Your Peeps Media.