The Right Talent, Right Now<\/strong>\u201d \u2013 perfectly embodies the life-changing work that we are doing here at Best Buddies to integrate people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) into the workforce and strengthen our entire economy.<\/p>\nDespite our incredible accomplishments thus far, there is still so much work to be done.\u00a0Right now<\/em>, we have to do more for the\u00a0right talent<\/em>: Currently,\u00a081% of adults with developmental disabilities do not have a paid job in the community<\/strong>. We must do more to ensure that individuals with IDD have the opportunity to earn an income of their own, work in an environment alongside others in their communities and contribute their talent and gifts to the rest of the world.<\/p>\nThis appalling statistic inspired the upcoming campaign\u00a0Delivering Jobs<\/em><\/strong>, that seeks to create pathways to\u00a0one million<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0employment and leadership opportunities<\/em>\u00a0by motivating and equipping employers to hire this qualified, untapped labor force, engaging the public to foster inclusive communities and preparing this community for employment.<\/p>\nOur Best Buddies Jobs participants add significant value to the workforce, including offering diverse perspectives for organizational success and fast-tracking progress towards equitable and sustainable development. Best Buddies Jobs program has participants employed full time<\/strong>\u00a0who each have the potential to earn a\u00a0total income upwards of $1 million over 30 years and contribute $250k in taxes<\/strong>\u00a0back into the economy.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/CB10279-4.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
One of those Best Buddies Jobs participants is\u00a0Terence McKnight<\/strong>\u00a0from Best Buddies in Virginia and Washington, D.C. (Capital Region). Terence works on the Gannett People Team as an associate human resources coordinator and will celebrate his 15th work anniversary this year. Gannett\u2019s Chief People Officer Dave Harmon says:<\/p>\n\u201cTerence has been a tremendous asset to our Gannett People Team. He is positive, fastidious in his work and fun to be around. From day one, Terence has brought the team closer together, renewed our sense of purpose, and helped us appreciate the little things. In addition, Terence has been diligent in completing all of his work \u2026 and is a model of efficiency and time-scheduling. Terence has also rallied our team to eat together daily in our lunchroom \u2013 which has had ancillary benefits as it relates to team cohesiveness.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nTerence\u2019s inspiring story shows us that employers who hire individuals with IDD benefit just as much as our participants, who, like Terence, break barriers by working hard and showing the world their talent. Join our global movement\u00a0right now<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0by supporting\u00a0Best Buddies Jobs<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0as we work to create more employment opportunities for\u00a0the right talent<\/em><\/strong>. Now let\u2019s get to work!<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
In friendship,<\/p>\n
Anthony K. Shriver
\nFounder, Chairman & CEO
\nBest Buddies International<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dear Best Buddies Family, Observed annually in October,\u00a0National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) celebrates the monumental contributions of employees with disabilities and highlights the importance of inclusive workforces. This year\u2019s theme \u2013 \u201cThe Right Talent, Right Now\u201d \u2013 perfectly embodies the life-changing work that we are doing here at Best […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":116176,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"blog-news-single-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[82],"tags":[1671,1657,1734,1735,1733],"yoast_head":"\n
Celebrating #NDEAM, "The Right Talent, Right Now" - Best Buddies International<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/celebrating-ndeam-the-right-talent-right-now\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Celebrating #NDEAM, "The Right Talent, Right Now" - Best Buddies International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Dear Best Buddies Family, Observed annually in October,\u00a0National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) celebrates the monumental contributions of employees with disabilities and highlights the importance of inclusive workforces. 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<\/p>\n