Blog

For the past nine years, three days a week, Bradley Gunther leaves his home in Marina del Rey and takes the bus to Beverly Hills, where he is the most veteran employee in the mailroom at Paradigm. “I deliver mail and supplies for both buildings, and it’s a very important job to me,” says Gunther, 62. “I enjoy my life.”

Octavia Frost sat patiently through make-up and hair styling, as her Best Buddies’ student volunteer, Zyandria Vega, created just the right look for a special occasion – the Spring Fling Buddy Ball. She wore a dark blue gown of her choosing for the annual prom at Wesley Chapel High School. And, when she walked into the school’s gymnasium

One ambitious Best Buddies participant is Zach Smith, who has always dreamed of working in a NYC television studio. He is currently a communications major at Worcester State University in preparation for a career in the broadcast media industry.

Friendships like Madison’s and Angelica’s demonstrate the power of our Friendship program. They have been best buddies for over two years and love to go to the movies together, shop, travel, and compete in beauty pageants. Angelica is the current National Miss Amazing — a pageant that celebrates and empowers girls and women with disabilities. Madison and Angelica are also fierce advocates of the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign to end the hurtful use of the R-word.