By Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation
The Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation is pleased to welcome Best Buddies to our Grantee Blog. Best Buddies, the world’s largest organization dedicated to ending the social, physical, and economic isolation of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), fosters one-to-one friendships and leadership opportunities that help people with IDD lead fulfilling lives.
Courtesy of Best Buddies
At Best Buddies, our Friendship and Leadership programs are essential pillars to our mission. The programs educate and empower people with and without IDD to lead efforts within their own schools, workplaces, and communities that look to a future where friendship, leadership, and the joy of achieving one’s potential are accessible to all.
We are excited to highlight recent initiatives in New York and Connecticut that are fueling future leaders!
Our Friendship & Leadership Initiatives in Connecticut (Hint: Celebrating Our Friendship Ball!)
Our Connecticut Friendship Ball was a highlight for many. This event wasn’t just about dancing and fun, it brought together our Best Buddies community so they could celebrate the friendships and change they created over the last year. Over 400 individuals participated in the celebration that included dancing, food stations, and a Sensory Friendly area. This area ensured everyone could participate comfortably and included dancing, puzzles, coloring books, and poster making.
Leadership development is another cornerstone of Best Buddies’ work in the region. Through targeted training, individuals with IDD are equipped with essential social skills, self-esteem, and the confidence needed to advocate for themselves and others. These sessions serve as transformative experiences that help participants step into their leadership potential!
Our Friendship & Leadership Initiatives in New York (Hint: Creating Monthly One-To-One Friendship Opportunities!)
In New York City, Best Buddies’ programs help cultivate one-to-one friendships that empower individuals with and without IDD, offering social interactions while improving the quality of life and level of inclusion for a population that is often isolated and excluded. Through their participation, people with IDD form meaningful connections with their peers, gain self-confidence and self-esteem, and share interests, experiences, and activities that many other individuals enjoy.
We organize monthly events for our school and adult friendship programs that includes picnics, bowling events, and trips to museums that create supportive environments for adults with IDD to connect and foster lasting friendships.
Envisioning an Inclusive Tomorrow with Best Buddies
Every program, every event, and every training session organized by Best Buddies in New York and Connecticut is a step towards a future where people with IDD can live without boundaries. We envision a world where people with IDD are so successfully integrated into schools, workplaces, and communities that our services will be unnecessary. Until then, we thank you for joining us in making a difference—and creating friendships that fuel leaders in all the communities we call “home.”
About Best Buddies®
Best Buddies® is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to 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’ 12 formal programs — Elementary Schools, Middle Schools, High Schools, Colleges, Citizens, e-Buddies®, Jobs, Ambassadors, Promoters, Transitions, Inclusive Living, and Eunie’s Buddies— engage participants in each of the 50 states and in 45 countries, positively impacting the lives of nearly one million people with and without disabilities around the world. 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.