{"id":182097,"date":"2024-06-21T10:21:01","date_gmt":"2024-06-21T14:21:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/?p=182097"},"modified":"2024-09-23T11:08:36","modified_gmt":"2024-09-23T15:08:36","slug":"2024-friendship-walk-highlights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/california\/2024-friendship-walk-highlights","title":{"rendered":"2024 Friendship Walk Highlights"},"content":{"rendered":"
[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”182103″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” css=””][vc_empty_space height=”50px”][vc_column_text css=””]We are beyond grateful to all our incredible supporters who made our Friendship Walks in Los Angeles, San Diego, Fresno, San Francisco, and Sacramento such resounding successes! With a collective effort, we raised an outstanding $371,614, with 3,430 walkers joining us statewide. Your generosity and dedication have significantly impacted our inclusion efforts across California, reinforcing the importance of unity and community support.<\/p>\n

The Friendship Walk is a cornerstone event for Best Buddies, bringing together participants and volunteers from all our pillars for a day of unity and celebration. These walks not only raise crucial funds but also spread awareness about our mission to support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.<\/p>\n

Our first event Los Angeles saw a remarkable turnout with 1,179 registered walkers, raising an incredible $154,290. Paige Hurd, with her team PH^2, was the top individual fundraiser, amassing $12,221. Career Group Companies emerged as the top corporate team, contributing $15,068. The overwhelming support in LA underscores the city\u2019s dedication to our cause, especially considering attendees come from all over Southern California including LA, Long Beach, and Orange County.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In San Francisco, the walk was marked by exceptional fundraising efforts. Michelle Yoshimine emerged as the top individual fundraiser, contributing an impressive $4,211. The BayKen Buddies team stood out as the top fundraising team, raising $5,186. Their efforts exemplify the community spirit and dedication that fuel our mission. Check out the video recap of our walk here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Friendship<\/p>\n

For the walk\u2019s third year in Sacramento, Danielle Christy distinguished herself as the leading fundraiser with $2,250. The UC Davis Aggies team also made a significant contribution, raising $3,769. We had so many amazing local organizations attend and there was a real sense of community-building throughout the day.<\/p>\n

\"Friendship<\/p>\n

San Diego’s event was another triumph, with Amanda Canizalez taking the title of top fundraiser by collecting $1,670. The San Diego State University team led the way with an outstanding $9,232 raised, showcasing the power of collective effort and the impact of community involvement. We had an amazing surprise guest attend the walk \u2013 the San Diego Padres\u2019 Swingin\u2019 Friar!<\/p>\n

\"Friendship<\/p>\n

Finally, Fresno\u2019s walk surpassed all expectations with 301 registered walkers and a total of $28,863 raised, far exceeding our initial goal of $15,000. Marcus Espino was the top individual fundraiser, collecting $2,505. The team “In Memory of Drew Petersen” led the group efforts with $5,685 raised, honoring Drew, a cherished participant of Best Buddies. This was the first local walk in Fresno since 2019, so we were thrilled with the overwhelming support we received.<\/p>\n

\"Friendship<\/p>\n

These Friendship Walks were more than just fundraising events; they were a celebration of inclusivity, community, and the shared commitment to enhancing the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Each step taken and each dollar raised brings us closer to a world where everyone feels valued and included.<\/p>\n

Thank you to all our participants, volunteers, and supporters. Your unwavering dedication and generosity make our mission possible and help create a more inclusive society. We look forward to many more successful events and continued progress in our efforts to support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities![\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

California’s first year hosting five walks was a HUGE success!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2080,"featured_media":182103,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"ca-single-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-182097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-california-news"],"yoast_head":"\n2024 Friendship Walk Highlights - 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\/california\/2024-friendship-walk-highlights\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"2024 Friendship Walk Highlights - Best Buddies International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"California's first year hosting five walks was a HUGE success!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/california\/2024-friendship-walk-highlights\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Best Buddies International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-06-21T14:21:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-09-23T15:08:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/2024-BBCA-Friendship-Walk-Recap-San-Diego.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=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/california\/2024-friendship-walk-highlights\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/california\/2024-friendship-walk-highlights\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"leemosler\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/#\/schema\/person\/e016e3c8c2cd3b7e04adf72b23efb560\"},\"headline\":\"2024 Friendship Walk Highlights\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-06-21T14:21:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-09-23T15:08:36+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/california\/2024-friendship-walk-highlights\/\"},\"wordCount\":549,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/california\/2024-friendship-walk-highlights\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/2024-BBCA-Friendship-Walk-Recap-San-Diego.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"California News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/california\/2024-friendship-walk-highlights\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/california\/2024-friendship-walk-highlights\/\",\"name\":\"2024 Friendship Walk Highlights - 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