{"id":184082,"date":"2024-09-23T11:29:53","date_gmt":"2024-09-23T15:29:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/?p=184082"},"modified":"2024-09-23T11:29:53","modified_gmt":"2024-09-23T15:29:53","slug":"best-buddies-citizens-spotlight-erica-and-julian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/california\/best-buddies-citizens-spotlight-erica-and-julian","title":{"rendered":"Best Buddies Citizens Spotlight – Erica and Julian"},"content":{"rendered":"
[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”184084″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” css=””][vc_empty_space height=”50px”][vc_column_text css=””]For the past two and a half years, Erica and Julian have shared a unique and special friendship through the Best Buddies LA Citizens program. Their journey together has been filled with good times, mutual respect, and lots of fun. From happy hours to car shows and discovering new music, the pair has formed a bond that transcends the typical friendship.<\/p>\n

When Erica asked how he would describe their relationship, Julian thoughtfully responded, \u201cLet me think about it\u2026 Freaking like our friendship. I like to hang out with you. I think you are a nice person to me; loving and caring.\u201d<\/em> His words capture the heart of their connection: a friendship grounded in kindness, mutual appreciation, and genuine care.<\/p>\n

\"Erica<\/p>\n

Erica has equally high praise for Julian. “Over the last two years, I\u2019ve gotten to know Julian, and he\u2019s the sweetest, most easygoing person. He\u2019s been a great friend to me too.”<\/em> The joy they find in each other\u2019s company is clear through the variety of activities they share, with happy hours and car shows becoming their favorite hangouts. It\u2019s the simplicity and sincerity of their time spent together that makes their friendship so special.<\/p>\n

The LA Citizens program connects adults with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) for meaningful friendships and social experiences. Erica and Julian\u2019s story is a shining example of the program\u2019s mission to foster inclusion and belonging. Through their time together, they\u2019ve built more than just a friendship\u2014they\u2019ve built a community of support and understanding.<\/p>\n

Julian\u2019s description of Erica as \u201cloving and caring\u201d<\/em> speaks to the qualities that have made their friendship thrive, and their bond shows how a simple connection can grow into something truly meaningful. To join our adult friendship program and find your buddy, fill out our membership application here.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Erica[\/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":"

Erica and Julian\u2019s 2.5-Year Bond<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2080,"featured_media":184084,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"ca-single-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-184082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-california-news"],"yoast_head":"\nBest Buddies Citizens Spotlight - Erica and Julian - 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\/best-buddies-citizens-spotlight-erica-and-julian\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Best Buddies Citizens Spotlight - Erica and Julian - Best Buddies International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Erica and Julian\u2019s 2.5-Year Bond\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/california\/best-buddies-citizens-spotlight-erica-and-julian\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Best Buddies International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-09-23T15:29:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/2024-BBCA-Erica-and-Julians-Friendship-having-a-great-day.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\/california\/best-buddies-citizens-spotlight-erica-and-julian\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/california\/best-buddies-citizens-spotlight-erica-and-julian\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"leemosler\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/#\/schema\/person\/e016e3c8c2cd3b7e04adf72b23efb560\"},\"headline\":\"Best Buddies Citizens Spotlight – Erica and Julian\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-09-23T15:29:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-09-23T15:29:53+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/california\/best-buddies-citizens-spotlight-erica-and-julian\/\"},\"wordCount\":362,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/california\/best-buddies-citizens-spotlight-erica-and-julian\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/2024-BBCA-Erica-and-Julians-Friendship-having-a-great-day.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"California News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/california\/best-buddies-citizens-spotlight-erica-and-julian\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/california\/best-buddies-citizens-spotlight-erica-and-julian\/\",\"name\":\"Best Buddies Citizens Spotlight - 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