Best Buddies Newsletter

Calling All Inclusion Leaders!

Are you looking for more opportunities to sharpen your leadership skills? Look no further! It's officially Friendship Walk season, and you can lead your Friendship Walk team to success by becoming a team captain!

The Friendship Walk is a free event that builds awareness and raises funds to support our inclusive programs. Groups of friends, family, and colleagues can register as a “team” for the walk and collectively fundraise for Best Buddies. As the team captain, you will motivate your team to recruit more walkers, set an ambitious fundraising goal, and bring positive energy on walk day.

We have four walks in California - use the button below to create your walk team and start your duties as team captain today!

CREATE YOUR TEAM

Super Supporters

Community Partner of the Month – Jessica Farber

Meet Jessica! Jessica is the Program Manager at Villa De Vida, Inc. and oversees their Activities and Resident Support Services. Villa De Vida is a nonprofit that provides services for adults with developmental disabilities at their property in Poway. Their mission is to empower adults with IDD to live their lives fully, which so closely aligns with our mission at Best Buddies. In 2022, Best Buddies Citizens and Villa De Vida started to collaborate on social events in San Diego, such as a silent disco and a painting party. Jessica has been key in building this incredible partnership that helps us connect more participants and volunteers!

“My favorite part about working with the IDD community is the unconditional love that I see the participants show to each other and those who work/volunteer with them. They aren't afraid to tell me how it is, for better or worse, and I really appreciate that honesty. I love when our participants recognize their greatness and potential, and I love seeing them grow in their confidence and skills, both at the property and out in the community.”

Ambassador of the Month – Nat Spring

Congratulations to Nat for being nominated as Ambassador of the Month! Nat has been involved in Best Buddies for 12 years. They are currently part of all three mission pillars offered in California: Friendship, Jobs, and Leadership. Nat lives and breathes inclusion and is a phenomenal advocate for Best Buddies.

“Best Buddies has impacted my life in a number of ways, the biggest being that I have been able to meet people from all walks of life and other countries with the same goals for inclusion. Then in my personal life, in 2013, I actually lost my mother to cancer after an eight-year battle. That was a really hard time for my whole family, but I was grateful to Best Buddies because they were there every step of the way, and actually, a few months later, I became an ambassador.”

Monthly Impact Report

Get Involved with Best Buddies

Upcoming Volunteer Orientation

March 15th from 5:00pm-5:30pm

Email us to get signed up

STAY UP TO DATE!

Best Buddies International 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, and inclusive living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

bestbuddies.org/california