{"id":176710,"date":"2024-01-17T08:58:42","date_gmt":"2024-01-17T13:58:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/?p=176710"},"modified":"2024-01-17T08:58:42","modified_gmt":"2024-01-17T13:58:42","slug":"creating-a-community-of-inclusion-john-johns-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/ohio\/john-johns-story","title":{"rendered":"Creating a Community of Inclusion: John John’s Story"},"content":{"rendered":"
[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”176711″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]When John John and Emily met at a bowling event for Best Buddies at the Ohio State University in 2019 they had no idea they\u2019d be striking up a special bond. What began as a chance meeting one evening when both of their assigned buddies were unable to attend the bowling event has evolved into a flourishing community of inclusion. From Emily,<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d describe John John as passionate, witty, confident, and sassy. He can dish it out as well as he can take it! His friendship is important to me because he\u2019s someone that I know will always support me through thick and thin. He\u2019s extremely loyal to what he is passionate about. He also is not afraid to give me his honest opinion, which I love about him!\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Emily and John John clicked, and when Emily went home to New York during the COVID \u2013 19 pandemic, they began to FaceTime call every day. Soon, the whole family got to know John John, including Emily\u2019s mom Jennifer, and sister Erin. Whether it be catching up about seemingly mundane things or pulling silly pranks on each other, they became part of each other’s support system. From Jennifer,<\/p>\n

\u201cJohn John has changed our lives, he is like a son to us. We joke and go back and forth like family. We still hear from him almost daily. We\u2019ll catch up with our girls and he\u2019ll be on the phone in the background – like friends do.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Erin<\/p>\n

Not only has the Coykendall family embraced John John, so has Northwestern\u2019s Women\u2019s Lacrosse Team. As a sports enthusiast, John John was thrilled to attend Erin\u2019s lacrosse game against Ohio State University. The team quickly embraced John John\u2019s positivity and enthusiastic spirit. From Erin,<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing friends with him has taught me to be grateful for everything and have fun. Even in the biggest moments of our lacrosse season, John John came to practice in a Santa suit and lightened the mood and helped us all have fun instead of being nervous.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"John<\/p>\n

When the Northwestern Women’s Lacrosse team made it to the National Championship in May of 2023, they invited John John and his mother Karen to North Carolina to share in the special moment. They won! Having contributed to their success, the team got John John a ring and honored him at their team banquette. From Karen,<\/p>\n

\u201cOur relationship with the Coykendall family is a testament to the power of inclusive friendship. John John\u2019s involvement has spurred multiple influential relationships in his life. Everyone wants their young adults to have friends. Best Buddies is the best place for young adults to meet genuine and everlasting friends. The students are great! When I take John John to events, buddies don\u2019t look bored.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"OSU<\/p>\n

Having been involved in Best Buddies since 2012, John John even inspired his brother Connor to be a Chapter Leader at Miami University and his sister Allie to participate at the University of Kentucky. Joining Best Buddies isn\u2019t just about making a friend, participants make meaningful connections and contribute to a broader community of inclusion.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

John John has changed our lives, he is like a son to us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2080,"featured_media":176711,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"oh-single-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[510,514],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-176710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ohio","category-ohio-news"],"yoast_head":"\nCreating a Community of Inclusion: John John's Story - Best Buddies International<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/ohio\/john-johns-story\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Creating a Community of Inclusion: John John's Story - Best Buddies International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"John John has changed our lives, he is like a son to us.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/ohio\/john-johns-story\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Best Buddies International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-01-17T13:58:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/2024-BBOH-John-John-and-Emily.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"leemosler\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"leemosler\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/ohio\/john-johns-story\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/ohio\/john-johns-story\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"leemosler\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/#\/schema\/person\/e016e3c8c2cd3b7e04adf72b23efb560\"},\"headline\":\"Creating a Community of Inclusion: John John’s Story\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-17T13:58:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-17T13:58:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/ohio\/john-johns-story\/\"},\"wordCount\":579,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/ohio\/john-johns-story\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/2024-BBOH-John-John-and-Emily.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Ohio\",\"Ohio News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/ohio\/john-johns-story\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/ohio\/john-johns-story\/\",\"name\":\"Creating a Community of Inclusion: John John's Story - 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