Last month, student leaders, job participants, Ambassadors, Living residents, and community leaders from Virginia and DC attended the 35th annual Best Buddies Leadership Conference (BBLC)—a four-day event that motivates thousands of leaders to be Best Buddies advocates and empowers the future of the disability rights and inclusion movement.

The conference, “Everybuddy Belongs,” was held at Indiana University in Bloomington from July 19 to 22, bringing together 2,000 student leaders, job program participants, advisors, and community leaders from all 50 states and 47 countries.

“My favorite part of LC was being surrounded by individuals of all abilities and getting to come together to support the same cause,” said Ella from Bishop O’Connell High School.

Nationwide flight delays and cancellations couldn’t stop the fun. After rescheduling their flight, community leader Young and Best Buddies Ambassador Hannah got lunch and went for a walk with George Mason University’s chapter president Grace to pass the time and bond. Nothing beats seeing genuine kindness and friendship in action. They watched the Opening Ceremonies together virtually, and Young, Hannah, and Grace ultimately arrived in Indiana a day later to experience the magic of the Best Buddies Leadership Conference in person. Talk about dedication!

Over the past 35 years, BBLC has inspired thousands of leaders to be Best Buddies advocates and to bring about social change in their communities. The three brave travelers joined the rest of the Virginia and DC crowd Saturday morning to prepare for the day to come and listen to motivational speakers. Incredible activists and talented individuals like Mia Armstrong, Mickey Rowe, and Kelsey O’Connor shared their stories of resilience and encouraged everyone to be a champion for inclusion.

In the afternoon, everyone attended their breakout groups to strengthen their knowledge and prepare for the upcoming year.

Alex P. attended the jobs breakout session, where he and others learned about using AI in the workplace, self-advocacy, and interview skills.

“Be all you can be,” shared Alex. “I like [BBLC] a lot. I find it helpful to learn about things and changes that may come about and being able to adapt to situations and build on your reputation as a person.”

Meanwhile, Ambassadors carefully created speeches to share their stories with the world. Upon returning to Virginia, Ambassador Kaitlin A. got to put her speech to use as she engaged with corporate volunteers.

School chapter leaders met to learn how to run their chapters effectively, develop leadership skills, create effective matching strategies, and plan fun events.

“My favorite part of LC was meeting everybody and making new friends,” Adam from Meridian High School said. “The thing I’m excited to bring back is all the fun activity ideas I got from other members of our delegation. The biggest thing I learned was how to be more inclusive, how to make things more accessible, and to think more in that mindset.”

Molly G. from Oakton High School also said, “My favorite part about BBLC is meeting everyone from the different states and chapters and really connecting with them over this weekend.”

Almost all the student leaders enjoyed meeting one another and look forward to seeing each other at the Homecoming: Two Parties One Purpose dance on Friday, November 1, and the Washington, DC Friendship Walk on Saturday, April 26, 2025. Some folks don’t want to wait that long before seeing one another, so they’re planning multi-school chapter events!

Saturday ended with an awards ceremony, music, dancing, and the Inclusion Olympics. After a day of focused learning, everyone was excited to dance the night away.

The Madeira School and George Mason University were awarded Outstanding Chapter of the 2023-2024 School Year/Academic Year. Chapter leaders Zara and Grace accepted the awards on behalf of their schools.

Inclusion never takes a break! On Sunday, high school students shared ideas with one another at the World Café and attended sessions focused on disability awareness. College students attended workshops on managing tough conversations, delegation skills, self-care as a leader, and fundraising for friendship walks.

Ambassadors finalized and presented their speeches, and job participants continued to discuss best workplace practices and tools to help them succeed.

Best Buddies Leadership Conference 2024 came to a close with music from the talented Marlana VanHoose and an interpretive dance the Virginia & DC’s Ambassador Hannah participated in. Words from several Ambassadors’ speeches encouraged everyone to take what they learned at BBLC and advocate for inclusion in their community.

The fun never stops at BBLC. For the final night at Indiana University, conferencegoers partied at the Festival of Friendship. They danced, sang karaoke, bowled, played pool, and spent the precious few hours left with their new friends.

Aicha from Thomas Edison High School said, “My favorite part of BBLC was just meeting everyone, seeing such a great community, and learning about how to be a good co-president.”

Josh from Langley High School agreed, “My favorite part of LC was meeting all chapter leaders from the other schools.

The 35th annual Best Buddies Leadership Conference (BBLC) proved once again why it is an essential gathering for the future of the disability rights and inclusion movement. This year’s theme, “Everybuddy Belongs,” resonated deeply as participants returned to their communities with renewed passion and purpose. Inspired by motivational speakers, peer connections, and hands-on learning, these leaders now have the tools to advocate for a more inclusive world.

“I’m very excited to run my chapter in the fall and throughout the year and come up with some exciting events for the year and make more connections,” said Sam from McLean High School.

Read below for key takeaways from other chapter leaders:

Charles. St. Albans School. “My mission moment was when I made a friendship bracelet for my friend Alex.”

Trey. St Albans School. “My favorite part was being able to see all the inclusion.”

Elizabeth. Yorktown High School. “My favorite part of LC was getting to learn about people from all different backgrounds and getting to create different friendships.”

Avery. Yorktown High School. “My favorite part of LC was being around people with the same values as me and a common belief in the same mission. I’m excited to bring unique event ideas back to my chapter, thoughts on fundraising. I am excited. It was really great.”

Pearl. Alexandria City High School. “I’m excited to go back to my chapter and create a more involved space with all of the ideas that I came up with. I have a lot of good fundraising ideas, so I want to bring some more money to my school for that.”

Drew. Centreville High School. “One thing I liked about this conference was that I was able to meet many other like-minded people, and I’m excited to take back what I learned back to school.”

Zara. The Madeira School. “I am looking forward to collaborating with other chapters in the DC and Virginia area to have more events.”

Lane. St. John’s College High School. “What I learned from BBLC is a lot of event ideas that I think are going to be really fun for the next school year.”