C E L E B R A T E I N C L U S I O N
HAROLD WASHINGTON LIBRARY | CHICAGO FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2024
WELCOME
Dear Friends & Families of Best Buddies,
It is my privilege and honor to welcome you all to Chicago’s 2024 Champion of The Year Event! The Harold Washington Library is a monumenta venue to celebrate the hard work and awareness raised by the Champion of the Year candidates and to crown our 2024 Champion As we gather here tonight and look toward an even more inclusive 2024 into 2025; continuing to drive this volunteer movement forward has never been more important
Our programs have never been more resilient, as they have been over the last Best Buddies Jobs Program Participants are still dealing with the adversity of e job loss. Additionally, others are still placed on temporary leave with or without bring together our participants so they feel a sense of inclusion, even with the efforts of online career development sessions with mentors and have now been able to re introduce more in person networking to help our Participants secure new jobs. Subsequently, virtual job opportunities have grown tremendously, opening up even more positions for our participants As our participants are able to reenter the workforce, both in person and virtually, we are working diligently to bring back the opportunities that they have had in the past and most importantly to create new employment positions Your unconditional support and efforts to create these career openings continue to be more and more influential for the inclusion and development of our participants.
In Chicago this past year, we have opened 8 new schools, impacting over 450 students, supported 129 job seekers in their efforts to find employment, with 46 in Job Development, and 25 people finding jobs, hosted 17 Ambassador Trainings, provided 39 speaking engagements, and supported 15 State Ambassadors The money raised here this evening will help us exceed these numbers for the coming year. Best Buddies Friendship program serves over 155 school chapters, has trained hundreds of Ambassadors, made 160 Citizens matches, and impacts nearly 63,000 people across Illinois by giving individuals with and without IDD the opportunity to create meaningful and long-lasting friendships and feel included in their community. Your ongoing support and recognition is what makes life-changing situations like these possible
Thanks to all of you for attending and providing the financial and emotional support that helps create opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Without each of you, the success of an inclusive world would not be where it is today. I would like to specifically thank our sponsors, Aetna Better Health of Illinois, Area Wide Realty, Moco, Misericordia, Shaker, Uber, Breathru Beverage, Diageo, The Paramount Group, and Tito‘s, my fellow advisory board members, and Best Buddies staff who have helped make this event what it is this evening. To our Champions and Campaign Managers, your dedication to the mission, enthusiasm for the event, and willingness to help others is second to none I would like to thank each of you once again for joining and supporting the mission of Best Buddies International.
Enjoy the rest of your evening celebrating the success of this year’s event, and we look forward to welcoming you back next year for the 2025 Champion of the Year Event!
In Friendship,
Morgan A. Olszewski
Chicago Advisory Board Chair
About Champion of the Year
Champion of the Year unities the community's most active leaders in the name of inclusion. Through 10 weeks of raising funds and awareness for Best Buddies, our Champions will generate countless opportunities for friendship, jobs, and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The dollars raised through the Champion of the Year campaign will immediately be put to work through the launch of new friendships and employment opportunities. This is an enormous gift to children, teens, and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their families, and the community as a whole. Best Buddies’ friendship, jobs, and leadership programs now impact over 5,000 people in Illinois - this movement could not happen without the support from people like you and me. So please know that when you give, it makes a huge difference.
BidfromtheHeart
The Value of Your Donation Supports
Best Buddies helps form meaningful friendships, secure successful jobs, live independently, improve public speaking, self-advocacy, and communication skills, all while feeling valued by society
$7,500
More Than A Job: Underwrite the employment support that Best Buddies Jobs provides a person with IDD, allowing them to find a job, become financially independent, receive benefits and work alongside others in the community
$5,000
Gift of Friendship: Bring Together people with and without IDD for friendships that cultivate community-wide social inclusion, by funding a new school, citizens, or corporate chapter in the Best Buddies Friendship program
$2,500
Training Day: Fund an all-day Ambassadors training session for up to 50 people with and without IDD, where attendees will gain the public speaking skills and confidence needed to champion inclusion throughout their community.
$1,000
Prepare Future Advocates: Give a student leader, Ambassador, or Jobs participant the opportunity to attend the annual Best Buddies Leadership Conference, where they will learn to be advocates for themselves and the larger IDD community
$250
It's A Match: Support a one-to-one friendship between someone and their peer, helping to build a mutually enriching connection that enhances the lives of program participants and their families
$100
You've Got Mail: Fund an online e-Buddies friendship between a person with and a person without IDD. The e-pal program allows participants to become more social and technology literate, which may lead to more advanced career opportunities
Champion Candidates
Kaitlyn currently works as an Office Manager/Marketing Assistant at Benford Capital Partners. She loves to hang out with her friends and family, try different restaurants around the city, and see live music in her free time. She is so excited to be a Champion this year and be able to fundraise for such a great cause alongside her amazing campaign manager and mom, Kathy Barcal.
Jenny is passionate about making a difference and giving back! She was introduced to the Best Buddies program back in 2022 and has enjoyed participating in the annual walks since then While Jenny lived in Egypt growing up, even having her high school graduation at the Pyramids of Giza, she has lived in Chicago since 2008 and is practically a local now She still makes plenty of time to get out of the city though, she’s been to over 24 countries!
MaryEllenDragon
Mary Ellen works at the Bank of Montreal (BM0) and is a member of the BMO Without Barriers U.S. employee resource group, where Best Buddies is one of the partners Mary Ellen has three adult children with her husband, and they all live in Chicagoland Mary Ellen is something of an enigma, as she has been skydiving from 14,000 feet but will absolutely not climb onto a ladder! She has two dogs with excellent names, Reba Barbara Jean and Foxxy Cleopatra
Zach is a Best Buddies State Ambassador and Jobs Participant, currently in Job Development. He has been involved in Best Buddies for a number of years now and has even been a Champion of the Year candidate before. Zach is an alum of DePaul and working to set up opportunities to collaborate with them in the future. He is also BBIL’s resident Apple Expert! Ask Zach about the new IOS update!
Michelle is a member of the Best Buddies in Illinois Advisory Board! She originally got involved because of Adam Wilt, but was moved by the Jobs Program and remained dedicated to the Best Buddies mission since! Michelle knows a thing or two about dedication, she has worked at Ulta for 26 years- more than half of her life! She also has two senior Chihuahuas, Snickers and Stu!
Greg is the Director of Business Operations and Strategy at AbbVie Inc supporting their Oncology Patient Safety Organization He is a member of AbbVie’s Ability@AbbVie Employee Resource Group, which he joined six years ago when he started at AbbVie His son Gavin was a participant in Best Buddies when he attended Grayslake Central High School. Greg enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing golf and boating.
Zachary Fintel
Kaitlyn Barcal
JennyChandler
MichelleKurgan
Champion Candidates
Nicole a Chicago native, a lucky wife to her husband of 8 years, and a mama to two boys. Nicole and her family find joy in traveling, being able to witness historic sites and learning about new cultures. When she gets the opportunity, nothing excites her more than being able to lounge on the couch with a big cozy blanket, bingeing a TV series, and pairing hot Cheetos with a fancy bottle of wine. Recently, she’s been challenging herself to achieve two overdue bucket list goals; learn to play the piano and speak Italian! Ciao to new endeavors and experiences!
Tammy and Michael Olszewski have been supporters of Best Buddies for over 20 years in the northwest suburbs Michael was involved with Best Buddies during his school years at Barrington, which fun fact, is one of the oldest chapters in Illinois and even the country! They love to support Best Buddies and the Advisory Board with Advisory Board Chair, Morgan Olszewski!
Erica is a high school chapter advisor at Glenbard East High School! But beyond that, she is a parent of a child with IDD. This drives her passion to support families and students and to offer them experiences that were not offered or available to her and her daughter as she was growing up. Her goal is to visit every National Park and her favorite Best Buddies memory is taking her students to the Slime Factory in downtown Chicago (even though almost her entire Best Buddies chapter got sick from the germs after!)
Jada Tompson is a Best Buddies Global Ambassador, advocate for inclusion and creative storyteller. She is also a Jobs participant and currently works at Bickford Senior Living as an Activity Assistant, where she helps enhance the quality of life for residents. She is also a board member of Chicagoland Autism Connection. As a content creator and advocate, Jada is dedicated to spreading the mission of inclusion and empowering individuals with and without disabilities to thrive and succeed in their communities.
Dana knows a thing or two about Best Buddies! Dana joined Best Buddies when she was in middle school, and just never stopped. From being the Buddy Director in high school to being a Global Ambassador, and the longest-tenured staff at Best Buddies in Illinois, Dana has done it all! Outside of Best Buddies, Dana could be a professional hype woman She likes to have fun and always brings the party, candy included!
EricaSlusher
JadaThompson
MichaelandTamara Olszewski
NicoleMarty
Campaign Managers
Allie Churchfield
Kathy Barcal
Abby Gustafson
Jack Mayor
Victoria Hill
Julie Stone
Ryan Ranft
Trace Nardi
Morgan Olszewski
Ali Yancey
Rushil Desai
Danielle Bonfield
Thank you to our Advisory Board and Committee Members
Thank you for your commitment and helping our programs grow all year long!
Morgan Olszewski, Chair
AIKANA Chicago
Allison Churchfield, Vice Chair AbbVie
Joey Nauman, Nominating Chair
Envoy Global
Kate Abbatacola Affirm
Rushil Desai
Aetna Better Health of Illinois
Elizabeth Fay
Lizzy Fay LLC
Nicole Marty
Charles Scharf
Goldstreet Partners
Molly Wiesman
The Kelsey
Danielle Bonfield CrossCountry Mortgage
Megan Dolan JLL
Michelle Kurgan
Ulta Beauty
Sarah Nau
United Airlines
Dana Wax
Best Buddies
Thank You To Our Sponsors
Thank You To Our In-Kind Sponsors
Thank you to our Circle of Champions and all that they have done to advance the Best Buddies in Illinois since 2016!
Uber is proud to support Best Buddies in Illinois and their mission of inclusion!
Area Wide Realty and MOCO are proud sponsors of tonight's Best Buddies in Illinois Champion of the Year Gala!
Area Wide Realty and MOCO prioritize cultivating and developing a workplace that reflects inclusivity, development and growth of this charity!
Our foundation is strengthened on the premise of harnessing our differences to create an inclusive and progressive environment in which everyone feels valued. When our talents are being fully utilized is when our organization’s goals are met - but only achievable when everyone plays their fullest part.
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How to participate in the Silent Disco!
Grab the headphones at your seat and join us for an inclusive party! You can pick your station, pick your volume, and have fun! Controls can be found on either side of the headphones.
