{"id":80417,"date":"2015-11-17T19:56:47","date_gmt":"2015-11-17T19:56:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/?p=80417"},"modified":"2019-11-12T16:38:01","modified_gmt":"2019-11-12T21:38:01","slug":"19th-annual-best-buddies-miami-gala-back-to-school-night","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/2015\/11\/17\/19th-annual-best-buddies-miami-gala-back-to-school-night\/","title":{"rendered":"19th Annual Best Buddies Miami Gala: BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gala to Celebrate Best Buddies International\u2019s Global Student Volunteer Movement<\/em><\/p>\n

MIAMI, Nov. 17, 2015 \u2013 Best Buddies International, a groundbreaking nonprofit that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), is pleased to announce its 19th Annual Best Buddies Miami Gala: Back to School Night at The Ice Palace Studios in Miami, FL, on Friday, November 20.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s Gala will celebrate and highlight the organization\u2019s student volunteer movement and school programs where the organization first began. Founded in 1989 by Anthony K. Shriver, Best Buddies International has grown from one original chapter to nearly 1,900 middle school, high school, and university campuses across the United States and 55 countries.<\/p>\n

I am so incredibly proud to celebrate Best Buddies\u2019 student leaders and volunteers who are actively engaged in our school programs all across the globe,\u201d says Anthony K. Shriver, Founder and Chairman of Best Buddies International. \u201cAs we continue to work to create friendships and employment opportunities for individuals with IDD, I look forward to watching a whole new generation of young leaders step up to the plate to guide us. I was only in my early 20s when all of this began, and I have never lost faith in the unlimited creativity, leadership, and power that young people have. We need many more of them to lead our movement as we progress into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s Gala will also feature a fabulous cocktail hour, gourmet dinner, exclusive live and silent auctions and a special performance by musical guest and Best Buddies Global Ambassador Steve Aoki.<\/p>\n

Each year, the Gala brings together Miami\u2019s most notable residents and celebrities from around the globe. Among those expected to attend this year are: Gala Co-Chairs Jackie Soffer Robins and Craig Robins, Alina and Anthony K. Shriver; Actor Jason Lewis; Actress Vivica A. Fox; Former MLB Player Sammy Sosa; Pop Artist Romero Britto; Miss USA 2015 Olivia Jordan and Miss Teen USA 2015 Katherine Haik.<\/p>\n

There will also be a number of one-of-a-kind items up for auction, including a limited edition Hublot Best Buddies Cycling Timepiece, a custom-made Cannondale Best Buddies EVO Bicycle, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to see the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero, a one-of-a-kind Romero Britto Portrait, a luxurious trip to the Montage in Deer Valley in both ski season and the summer time with a total of 10 nights during two seasons, the ultimate vacation getaway on a 144 ft. yacht and a Starbase One Jet Card that allows you to fly private to your destination of choice within the continental United States.<\/p>\n

The day\u2019s festivities will kick-off bright and early with the Best Buddies Challenge: Miami, a 62-mile charity ride through the streets of the Magic City, led by Pro Cyclists George Hincapie, Christian Vande Velde, and Cameron Wurf. This world-class cycling event begins and ends at Marlins Park and is limited to just 50 riders. This ride features a Tour de France-style police escorted peloton with road and intersection closures, support vehicles, and three fully-stocked rest stops.<\/p>\n

Sterling Foundation Management is the title sponsor of the event, with The Ferraro Law Firm as Exclusive Sponsor, and Carnival Cruise Line as the Presenting Sponsor. Other donors are Abdo Eick, & Meyers, Braman, Capital Trust Group, Compa\u00f1\u00eda de elaborados de caf\u00e9, The GEO Group Foundation, Grupo RHUO, Klingman & Associates, FIJI Water, Mack Cycle and Fitness, Seminole Hard Rock & Casino, Sun Capital Partners, Tracfone Wireless, Wells Fargo, Watermill Institutional Trading, Mark Fisher, Christina Griffith, Nancy & Mark Holowesko, Jackie Soffer Robins & Craig Robins, Ron & Amira Simkins, Michele King Soffer & Don Soffer, Sandy & Tony Tamer and Denise & Walter Robinson. In-kind and Media sponsors are Aventura Worldwide Transportation Service, Courthouse Express, MadisonSouth, Romero Britto, Getty Images – Official Photography Sponsor of Best Buddies International, Niche Media – Premiere Magazine Sponsor of Best Buddies International, and Southern Wine and Spirits.<\/p>\n

ABOUT BEST BUDDIES INTERNATIONAL:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Best Buddies\u00ae is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Founded in 1989 by Anthony K. Shriver, Best Buddies is a vibrant organization that has grown from one original chapter to more than 1,900 middle school, high school, and college chapters worldwide. Today, Best Buddies\u2019 eight formal programs \u2014 Middle Schools, High Schools, Colleges, Citizens, e-Buddies\u00ae , Jobs, Ambassadors, and Promoters \u2014 engage participants in each of the 50 states and in over 50 countries, positively impacting the lives of more than 900,000 people with and without disabilities around the world. In many cases, as a result of their involvement with Best Buddies, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities secure rewarding jobs, live on their own, become inspirational leaders, and make lifelong friendships. For more information, please visit www.bestbuddies.org, facebook.com\/bestbuddies or twitter.com\/bestbuddies.<\/p>\n

Contact Information:
\nFor media inquiries (including requests for credentials):<\/p>\n

Nicole Maddox
\n305-374-2233 ext. 343
\nNicoleMaddox@bestbuddies.org<\/a><\/p>\n

For tickets or to become a Miami Gala sponsor:<\/p>\n

Natalie Van Eron
\nNatalieVanEron@bestbuddies.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gala to Celebrate Best Buddies International\u2019s Global Student Volunteer Movement MIAMI, Nov. 17, 2015 \u2013 Best Buddies International, a groundbreaking […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"news-single-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[228],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-80417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-releases"],"yoast_head":"\n19th Annual Best Buddies Miami Gala: BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT - 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\/2015\/11\/17\/19th-annual-best-buddies-miami-gala-back-to-school-night\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"19th Annual Best Buddies Miami Gala: BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT - Best Buddies International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Gala to Celebrate Best Buddies International\u2019s Global Student Volunteer Movement MIAMI, Nov. 17, 2015 \u2013 Best Buddies International, a groundbreaking […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/2015\/11\/17\/19th-annual-best-buddies-miami-gala-back-to-school-night\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Best Buddies International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-11-17T19:56:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-11-12T21:38:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/BB-fb-share-default.jpg\" \/>\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\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\" \/>\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\/2015\/11\/17\/19th-annual-best-buddies-miami-gala-back-to-school-night\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/2015\/11\/17\/19th-annual-best-buddies-miami-gala-back-to-school-night\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\",\"@id\":\"\"},\"headline\":\"19th Annual Best Buddies Miami Gala: BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-11-17T19:56:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-11-12T21:38:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/2015\/11\/17\/19th-annual-best-buddies-miami-gala-back-to-school-night\/\"},\"wordCount\":850,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Press Releases\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/2015\/11\/17\/19th-annual-best-buddies-miami-gala-back-to-school-night\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/2015\/11\/17\/19th-annual-best-buddies-miami-gala-back-to-school-night\/\",\"name\":\"19th Annual Best Buddies Miami Gala: BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT - Best Buddies International\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2015-11-17T19:56:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-11-12T21:38:01+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/2015\/11\/17\/19th-annual-best-buddies-miami-gala-back-to-school-night\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/2015\/11\/17\/19th-annual-best-buddies-miami-gala-back-to-school-night\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/2015\/11\/17\/19th-annual-best-buddies-miami-gala-back-to-school-night\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"19th Annual Best Buddies Miami Gala: BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/\",\"name\":\"Best Buddies International\",\"description\":\"Best Buddies is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Best Buddies International\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/best-buddies-logo2.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/best-buddies-logo2.png\",\"width\":115,\"height\":113,\"caption\":\"Best Buddies International\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/author\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"19th Annual Best Buddies Miami Gala: BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT - Best Buddies International","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/2015\/11\/17\/19th-annual-best-buddies-miami-gala-back-to-school-night\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"19th Annual Best Buddies Miami Gala: BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT - Best Buddies International","og_description":"Gala to Celebrate Best Buddies International\u2019s Global Student Volunteer Movement MIAMI, Nov. 17, 2015 \u2013 Best Buddies International, a groundbreaking […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/2015\/11\/17\/19th-annual-best-buddies-miami-gala-back-to-school-night\/","og_site_name":"Best Buddies International","article_published_time":"2015-11-17T19:56:47+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-11-12T21:38:01+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/BB-fb-share-default.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/2015\/11\/17\/19th-annual-best-buddies-miami-gala-back-to-school-night\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/2015\/11\/17\/19th-annual-best-buddies-miami-gala-back-to-school-night\/"},"author":{"name":"","@id":""},"headline":"19th Annual Best Buddies Miami Gala: BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT","datePublished":"2015-11-17T19:56:47+00:00","dateModified":"2019-11-12T21:38:01+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/2015\/11\/17\/19th-annual-best-buddies-miami-gala-back-to-school-night\/"},"wordCount":850,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Press Releases"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/2015\/11\/17\/19th-annual-best-buddies-miami-gala-back-to-school-night\/","url":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/2015\/11\/17\/19th-annual-best-buddies-miami-gala-back-to-school-night\/","name":"19th Annual Best Buddies Miami Gala: BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT - Best Buddies International","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/#website"},"datePublished":"2015-11-17T19:56:47+00:00","dateModified":"2019-11-12T21:38:01+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/2015\/11\/17\/19th-annual-best-buddies-miami-gala-back-to-school-night\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/2015\/11\/17\/19th-annual-best-buddies-miami-gala-back-to-school-night\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/2015\/11\/17\/19th-annual-best-buddies-miami-gala-back-to-school-night\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"19th Annual Best Buddies Miami Gala: BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/","name":"Best Buddies International","description":"Best Buddies is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/#organization","name":"Best Buddies International","url":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/best-buddies-logo2.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/best-buddies-logo2.png","width":115,"height":113,"caption":"Best Buddies International"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"","url":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/author\/"}]}},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2024-11-29 23:50:02","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/35"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80417"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80417\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}