Last month, over 2,000 Best Buddies supporters gathered for the annual Friendship Walks. We were excited to welcome our friends back to the National Mall for the Washington, DC Friendship Walk, and celebrate the first year of our brand-new walk in Richmond, Virginia!

We have been dedicated to expanding the mission and reach of Best Buddies so everyone throughout Virginia and Washington, DC feels included. In 2023, we extended our reach to new communities in Virginia, and now span 38 cities and 28 counties. We opened our 100th Friendship school chapter and increased our Citizens Friendship program to 400 members.

We are so excited to celebrate our new Friendship Walk in Richmond which perfectly represents our impact’s growth.

On Sunday, April 21st, 200 walkers braved the rain at the Richmond Kickers’ City Stadium. The ceremony began with words from Miss. Richmond USA, Sofia McDaniel, and Richmond Citizens pair, Becky and Paul. Paul shared his experience with the Richmond Citizens program:

“Through being paired with Becky in Best Buddies, I’ve been empowered and have loved getting to know people I have not had a chance to meet before. If there was a Best Buddies chapter when Becky and I were in high school, our friendship would have been stronger from the beginning. The Friendship Walk is a great opportunity to raise awareness about Best Buddies in Richmond. I want to encourage everyone here to get involved with Best Buddies, whether through our school friendship programs or our adult friendship program, Richmond Citizens.”

The walk kicked off with the Winterpock Elementary School’s wolf mascot leading the way! Best Buddies friendship pairs, families, and students completed the walk with smiles on their faces and peps in their steps.

The walkers returned to celebrate the top fundraisers. Congratulations to the top fundraising school team: Winterpock Elementary; the top fundraising individual, Matt Johnson; the top school individual fundraiser, Gaby Dominguez; the top community team, Richmond Citizens; and the top family team, Cici’s Circle.

In total, the Richmond Friendship Walk raised over $18,000. Thank you to everyone who fundraised and got the word out about Best Buddies. We are dedicated to ending the social, physical, and economic isolation of the 200 million people worldwide with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), and we couldn’t do it without you.

Thank you to the Richmond Kickers for hosting and Wegmans for sponsoring our Richmond Friendship Walk. And thank you to Polpetti Italian and Tablespoons Bakery for joining us on this rainy day to feed the hungry walkers. It was an incredible first year, and we can’t wait to see the Richmond Friendship Walk grow as the Best Buddies’ mission of inclusion and friendship spreads across Virginia.

Double the walks, means double the fun. Six days after the Richmond Friendship Walk, over 1,900 Best Buddies friends and supporters joined us on the National Mall for the Washington, DC Friendship Walk.

Best Buddies Friendship Walk Mission Chair Kaitlin Anderson welcomed Eileen Whelan of WJLA, this year’s fantastic Friendship Walk emcee. Eileen greeted everyone with a smile and a special story about her involvement in Best Buddies.

Casey Craig, Best Buddies board member and Friendship Walk chair, welcomed our guests and thanked our sponsors. This was Casey’s first year as the Friendship Walk chair, and he did an amazing job rallying our community and ensuring that the event was a success.

Best Buddies jobs, friendship, and leadership participant, Alex Dell’Atti, beautifully sang the National Anthem, and Jhiya Cooper, a Best Buddies, jobs, friendship and leadership participant spoke about her advocacy and independence:

“I use my voice to speak up for our mission of inclusion and disability rights. I gained so much confidence from my experiences with Best Buddies that I traveled out of state on an airplane for the first time just to attend the Best Buddies Leadership Conference (LC). I loved traveling and experiencing LC with my Best Buddies family. Most importantly, that experience helped me gain a sense of independence that I will carry forward.”

Our good friend Laurent Amzallag, of Yala Fitness led the crowd in a warmup and got our muscles moving before the big event!

The 2024 Friendship Walk Grand Marshals Sam Perry and Brandon Elledge waved their flags and led the walkers around the National Mall. Volunteers and spectators cheered on the walkers, offering high-fives, beads, and power-ups!

Clay Weintraub, a passionate Best Buddies participant welcomed folks back with a speech about his journey from graduating college and feeling stuck at home, to moving into the Best Buddies Living community and getting involved in the jobs and leadership programs:

“Best Buddies has helped me grow in ways I could never imagine. I don’t know where I would be without this community to anyone feeling like I once did. Isolated, sad, stuck. Please take a moment to look around and realize you were surrounded by good friends here at Best Buddies.”

Eileen and Casey thanked Team 980’s Chris Russell and the Best Buddies Leadership Cohort for their support before announcing the 2024 Washington, DC Friendship Walk’s top fundraisers.

Congratulations to the top fundraising student, Sam Perry, top community fundraiser, Izzy Rivard, and top community fundraising team, Best Buddies Citizens, and top corporate fundraiser, Brandon Elledge.

Congratulations to the top overall individual fundraiser Shannen Coffin who once again raised an incredible total of $23,000. We’re so grateful for his ongoing dedication to Best Buddies. He was recently awarded the Lifetime of Friendship Award at our 2023 Homecoming Gala.

Our three top school teams have done an incredible job of fundraising this year! After a back-and-forth battle, the top fundraising school for 2024 was National Cathedral School with over $8,200 raised!

The top corporate team is, for the 3rd year in a row, was our Presenting Sponsor, MAG Aerospace. MAG made this a competition between 5 of their business units, and together they raised $42,000.

In 2022, we announced a new tradition for our Virginia & DC Friendship Walk. In partnership with the Catholic Diocese of Arlington and Bishop Burbidge, Best Buddies VA & DC introduced the Bishop’s Cup to local Catholic schools and colleges to encourage engagement in the Friendship Walk and promote the mission of inclusion. This has increased fundraising and engagement from our area Catholic Schools from $2,347 in our first year to over $12,000 this year! The winner of the 2024 Bishop’s Cup was Bishop O’Connell raising over $5,600.

Altogether, the Washington, DC Friendship Walk reached its goal and raised $385,000 for Best Buddies in Virginia & DC.

Once again, a heartfelt thank you to everyone who fundraised and spread the word about Best Buddies. Your support is essential to our mission of ending the social, physical, and economic isolation faced by 200 million people worldwide with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). We couldn’t achieve this without your dedication and generosity.

After the walk, everyone celebrated with a dance party led by Jonathan Martin aka DJ 24/7’s great tunes! The National Cathedral School hoisted the Bishops Cup proudly above their heads.

“People with disabilities are achieving their dreams,” said Jonathan. “The fact that I can be a part of that knowing that I am on the spectrum myself is a very special thing for me.”

Our Friendship Walk in our nation’s capital is the largest in the country, and we couldn’t hold that honor without the support of our sponsors, donors and schools.

Thank you to our sponsors, MAG Aerospace, LINK Strategic Partners, Embassy of the State of Qatar, TCMA (A Drew Company), Deloitte, Wegmans, Jim Feldman & Natalie Wexler, Sterling Foundation Management, Total Wine & More, Holland & Knight, Kevin Martin Law, Navy Federal Credit Union, Museum of the Bible, Malik Family Giving Fund, Team 980 and Audacy, Capco, Caudron Megary & Blackburn Group and ZS Associates.

Thank you to our generous in-kind donors We, the Pizza, Lebanese Taverna, Silver & Sons Barbecue, Stellina Pizzeria, SillyShotz, Your Peeps Media, National Children’s Museum, and Spirit Drumline. We greatly appreciate your support!

Thank you to all our incredible school chapters for joining us and walking for inclusion. From bake sales to social media competitions, your creative and consistent fundraising efforts are making an incredible impact on our Best Buddies community.

Yasmin and Aiden, seniors at Thomas Edison High School, have been matched in a one-to-one friendship since freshman year. Their commitment to Best Buddies has been evident through Yasmin’s leadership as the Chapter President and Aiden’s role as the Buddy Director for the past two years.

Aiden loves being a friend saying, “I love to go out to lunch with my buddy, Yasmin and play games in the cafeteria like Headbands, Spot It, and Jenga.”

They love attending the Friendship Walk because seeing so many friendships like theirs between people with different abilities from all over Virginia and DC reminds them that they are a part of a welcoming and treasured community.

Thank you to our Best Buddies Jobs, Leadership, and Living friends for spreading the word about Best Buddies and coming out to celebrate with us!

Best Buddies Living residents, Rodrigo and Hannah shared that they love meeting new friends. Rodrigo said Best Buddies Living has “improved his social skills and … emotional intelligence.” He feels fulfilled.

Hannah loves “group dinners and hanging out with Rodrigo.”

“I walk because I am a deep believer in inclusion. I’m a deep believer in that everyone matters, and I’m a deep believer that everyone deserves a chance,” Rodrigo concluded.

The success of this year’s Friendship Walks in both Richmond and Washington, DC, stands as a testament to the power of community and the enduring commitment to the mission of Best Buddies. From the heartfelt speeches to the enthusiastic participation of walkers, each moment reflected our shared dedication to ending the social, physical, and economic isolation faced by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

The overwhelming support, evident through the impressive fundraising efforts and the energy of all attendees, highlights the impact we can achieve together. As we look forward to future walks and continued growth, we remain inspired by the stories of empowerment and friendship that define Best Buddies. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making these events memorable and impactful. Let’s continue to spread the mission of inclusion and friendship far and wide!