Dear Friends, Welcome and thank you for joining us for our annual Champion of the Year Gala! Your support will provide life changing opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in Indiana to have friendships, jobs, and leadership opportunities in their schools and communities. In Indiana, we serve more than 5,000 participants (and growing!) in more than 100 schools around the state. We also continue to expand our services through the Best Buddies Jobs program, which offers adults with IDD inclusive, competitive employment opportunities. We currently provide employment support to 37 participants and 24 of those are employed. However, our work is not done. There are still thousands of Hoosiers with IDD that need friends and jobs and our goal is to continue to expand around the state. Your support is critical to ensure that we can continue to offer our programs and fulfill our expansion goals. Best Buddies programs are changing lives every day and we ask you to join us in creating that change. Tonight we also recognize our 7 Champion of the Year Candidates. Over the past 8 weeks, these outstanding volunteers have worked to fundraise and raise awareness for Best Buddies. Their efforts help us create opportunities for friendships, jobs, and leadership development for people with IDD. We are thrilled to honor their collective impact and crown the 2023 Champion of the Year! Tonight’s event would not be possible without the support of our corporate sponsors. We extend our gratitude to the Capital Group Companies, Round Room, Master Jewelers, and our other sponsors. We also extend a special thank you to our Gala Committee, staff, and board members for their dedication in planning the Gala. Thank you again for joining us tonight! Natalie Seibert, State Director
Thank You To Our Sponsors!
Anthem I Bose McKinney & Evans LLP I Goodman Campbell Brain & Spine I Keller Macaluso LLC I Riley Hospital for Children I Secured Tech Solutions
Advisory Board & Event Planning Committee Advisory Board: Erin Coleman / Capital Group Co. | Zachary Curtis, Buddy Ambassador / First Internet Bank I Ian Edington / Bank of America Merril Lynch I Susan Gilbert / Capital Group Co. | Stephanie Irwin / Goodman Campbell Brain & Spine | Jay Sichting / TCC I Brad Smith / GuidePoint Security I Martha Steinkamp, Parent Advocate I Dustin Thevenow / Cisco I Amee Wildey / Anthem BCBS/Elevance Health Event Committee: Linda Barrabee I Erin Coleman I Susan Gilbert I Stephanie Irwin I Natalie Seibert I Avery VanMiddlesworth
Bid From the Heart The Value of Your Donation Supports Best Buddies helps form meaningful friendships, secure successful jobs, live independently, improve public speaking, self-advocacy and communications skills, all while feeling valued by society. $5,000 Bring together people with and without IDD for friendships that cultivate community-wide social inclusion by funding a new elementary, middle school, high school, college, or Citizens friendship chapter for a year. $2,500 Fund an Ambassadors Training or Local Leadership Training Day for Best Buddies leaders with and without IDD to learn skills that will help them champion for inclusion in their community. $1,000 Provide a Best Buddies student leader, Ambassador, or Jobs participant with the opportunity to attend the Best Buddies International Leadership Conference to learn how to advocate in their community
$500 Fund Best Buddies swag for students and volunteers at events
$250 Support a one-to-one friendship someone with IDD and a peer without IDD.
$100 Provide a pizza party or ice cream party for a Best Buddies school chapter
2022 Champion of the Year
Champion: RJ Zeph Campaign Manager: Matt Stapleton RJ is a Best Buddies Jobs participant, who has been employed at TCC (a Round Room company) in Fishers since September 2017. RJ is their Facilities Porter and works full-time. He enjoys cycling, drinking beer, watching sports on TV, and he’s an IU fan. Matt is one of RJ’s coworkers at TCC.
RJ & Matt raised $49,037 for Best Buddies during the 2022 Champion of the Year campaign! Congratulations & Thank You!
2023 Champion Candidates
Lisa Banister Mission Partner: Connie Evans
Reid Brenton Mission Partner: Pete Steinkamp
Anh Le Mission Partner: Evan Ollier
Kimberly Scheeringa Mission Partner: Alexa Wellman
Nathan Spurr Mission Partner: Zach Curtis
Kevin Wanzer Mission Partner: Kelley Schreiner
Joshua Wooge Mission Partner: Grayson Daray
This Year's Mission Moment Please join us in welcoming Carmel High School buddy pair, Abby Ingersoll and Taylor Carroll, as our featured speakers at the 2023 Best Buddies Champion of the Year Gala. Abby and Taylor have been matched together for more than 5 years, since they were in middle school.
How to Bid Register: Text INCOY23 to (76278) Donate: Text the word GIVE and amount (dollar sign not required) to (76278) *You can also bid in the silent auction once you’ve registered
Walk. Celebrate. Support.
4.21.24 Indianapolis
5.11.24 Lake County
The Best Buddies Friendship Walk is the leading walk in the country supporting inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (also known as IDD). BESTBUDDIESFRIENDSHIPWALK.ORG/INDIANAPOLIS BESTBUDDIESFRIENDSHIPWALK.ORG/LAKECOUNTY
Indiana Office 317.436.8440 Indiana@bestbuddies.org