{"id":178807,"date":"2024-03-07T09:35:28","date_gmt":"2024-03-07T14:35:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/?p=178807"},"modified":"2024-03-07T09:36:09","modified_gmt":"2024-03-07T14:36:09","slug":"how-a-school-club-became-an-international-nonprofit-organization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/2024\/03\/07\/how-a-school-club-became-an-international-nonprofit-organization\/","title":{"rendered":"How a School Club Became an International Nonprofit Organization"},"content":{"rendered":"
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”178808″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]Miami, FL, March 7, 2024 \u2014<\/span><\/b> This March is\u00a0Best Buddies Month, <\/strong>where we celebrate the Best Buddies’ mission of inclusion and our friends with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). While this is also the 35th anniversary of Best Buddies, where it was officially founded by Anthony K. Shriver\u00a0<\/strong>in 1989, the first iteration of Best Buddies was actually created by Shriver in 1987, in a program he created called “Big Buddies.”<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> to read an article, published in The Hoya, the Georgetown University student newspaper, in 1987, to learn more about the program that would later become the world’s largest international nonprofit organization dedicated to providing friendship, employment, leadership and inclusive living opportunities to people with IDD.<\/p>\n

About Best Buddies<\/u><\/strong>
\nBest Buddies\u00ae<\/sup> is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated\u202fto establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development, inclusive living, and family support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Founded in 1989 by Anthony K. Shriver, Best Buddies is a vibrant organization that has grown from one original chapter to nearly 3,000 middle school, high school, and college chapters worldwide. Today, Best Buddies\u2019 12 formal programs \u2014 <\/span><\/span>Elementary Schools, Middle Schools, High Schools, Colleges, Citizens, e-Buddies\u00ae, Jobs, Ambassadors, Promoters, Transitions, Inclusive Living <\/span><\/span>and <\/span><\/span>Eunie\u2019s Buddies<\/span><\/span><\/em>\u2014 engage participants in<\/span><\/span>\u202f<\/span><\/span>each of the 50 states and in 45<\/span><\/span>\u202f<\/span><\/span>countries, positively <\/span>impacting<\/span> the lives of <\/span>nearly one<\/span> million people with and without disabilities around the world.<\/span><\/span> In many cases, as a result of their involvement with Best Buddies, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities secure rewarding jobs, live on their own, become inspirational leaders, and make lifelong friendships. For more information, please visit bestbuddies.org or connect with us via Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a> or Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

Media Inquiries<\/u><\/strong>
\nBest Buddies International<\/strong>
\nNicole Maddox<\/strong>
\nVice President, Communications
\nNicoleMaddox@Bestbuddies.org<\/a><\/p>\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Read about the beginnings of Best Buddies and how a small club started by Anthony K. Shriver would become a world-renowned nonprofit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2081,"featured_media":178808,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,676,819,4485],"tags":[703],"yoast_head":"\nHow a School Club Became an International Nonprofit Organization - Best Buddies International<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Read about the beginnings of Best Buddies and how a small club started by Anthony K. 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