Central IL COY Program Book by Best Buddies International

PASSPORT

Come Play. Any Day.

The Yard Peoria and the House Barbell Club are proud to be Best Buddies in Illinois supporters for FIVE years! The Yard is the Midwest’s premier indoor training facility. Over 57,000 square feet of turf where you can play. Any day.

WELCOME

Dear Friends of Best Buddies,

It is my privilege and honor to welcome you to the 2024 Central Illinois Champion of the Year Gala. We are so happy to be back together at Warehouse on State for our third year and are looking forward to spending this evening with you all. As we gather here tonight and look toward an even more inclusive 2025, moving this volunteer movement forward has never been more important.

We have spent 2024 enhancing our programs and our communities across the state and ensuring that our participants are given the best opportunities for friendship, leadership development, and integrated employment. And what a year it has been! We have opened 12 schools, brought 10 new job seekers into the Jobs program, assisted 4 of them in being hired, trained 33 new leaders through our Ambassador program, and have brought in 200 adults from communities across Central Illinois into our Citizens Program.

This work is possible because of the support from people in our communities like our Champion of the Year Candidates and the people like you, who support them. We are grateful for your support. In 2020, I was in their shoes, competing to bring in the most awareness and funding for Best Buddies in Illinois. And while I came in second place, I know that all of this work is for a greater purpose. I have gotten to see Central Illinois grow and offer new and incredible opportunities to participants, like being the first Black, Autistic, man to drive a monster truck because of nights like tonight. Your ongoing support and recognition is what makes life-changing situations like these possible.

Best Buddies in Illinois serves 52 school chapters, has trained over 400 Ambassadors, made 23 Citizens matches, supports 42 Jobs Participants, and impacts over 8,000 people in the Central Illinois Area by giving individuals with and without IDD the opportunity to create meaningful and long-lasting friendships and feel included in their community. Thanks to all of you for attending and providing the financial and emotional support that helps create these opportunities. 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, including The Yard, BTD, Jones Brother’s Jewelers, CEFCU, CityLink, Sun Collectors, Tito’s, Nothing Bundt Cakes, AETNA, The House Barbell Club, TimbukTech, Picket Fence Foundation, DJ4U, and Busey Bank, my fellow committee members, and Best Buddies staff who have helped make this event what it is this evening. To our Champions, Campaign Managers, and Mission Partners, 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. Your generosity and donations make our work possible. Have a lovely 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 Gala on October 25th. We have big plans and new ways to make this event more exciting for more Best Buddies participants in Central Illinois.

In Friendship,

Travis Platt

Central Illinois Champion of the Year Committee Co-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 1,000 people in Central 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

$10,000

Life Changing Leadership Conference: Provide transportation for 30+ Central Illinois participants to Indiana University for Leadership Conference, where they will have the opportunity of a lifetime, learning leadership development skills to bring home to their communities, all while surrounded by leaders and participants from around the world.

$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 epal program allows participants to become more social and technology literate, which may lead to more advanced career opportunities

Champion Candidates

Jonathan works for BTD manufacturing and is former Champion Candidate, Malissa Watson’s Legacy. He attended last year’s gala, and thought, I can do that! And here he is! Jonathan has a birthday once every four years, making it absolutely illegal for him to have any drinks tonight!

Heather is the Supervisor of Jobs here at Best Buddies in Illinois, meaning she keeps things running smoothly down here in our neck of the woods, covering Peoria, Tazwell, Woodford, and McLean Counties. Cross your fingers for Sangamon and Champaign next! When she’s not finding inclusive jobs for our job seekers, she’s absolutely tearing it up on the karaoke mic! Come see her perform tonight at Neon Bison.

Brooklin is a freshman at Illinois Central College and is the former chapter president of the East Peoria High School Best Buddies chapter. Brooklin attended the Best Buddies Leadership Conference this summer as an Ambassador. Currently a Best Buddies State Ambassador in Illinois, Brooklin advocates for the IDD community, Autism Awareness, and anti-bullying.

Tim is a Best Buddies State Ambassador and friend to everyone he runs into! Tim first joined Best Buddies at Pekin High School. From there, he joined the Bradley Best Buddies Friendship Chapter. Tim was awarded Illinois Jaycees Outstanding Young Person in 2022 for his advocacy AND was on Battle Bots on Discovery Channel last year He wins every game of Two Truths and Lie with his fun fact: He’s Bluetooth enabled!

Breonna is a Best Buddies Jobs Participant and State Ambassador Breonna is a Jameson School Graduate who has found employment through Best Buddies Jobs She attended Leadership Conference this summer for the first time and had a BLAST! If you’re ever looking for Breonna and can’t find her, just look for her megawatt smile!

Jonathan Boerger

Heather Bouchez

Brooklin Heeren

Tim Jackson

Breonna Knox

Odel Lewis

Champion Candidates

This may be Odel’s first Champion of the Year Gala, but she’s not new to Best Buddies in Illinois Odel started working with Best Buddies in 2017, working to bring Best Buddies to Carbondale and Southern Illinois! She now leads the Citizens chapter down south. She is also the first Champion to represent Southern Illinois!

Sarah comes to Best Buddies with years of experience in the IDD community! She is the chair for the Heart of Illinois Down syndrome Association and has been actively involved in Easter Seals for 11 years It makes sense that she has found her way to Best Buddies! When she’s not helping others, she’s raising her 5 children!

Joey O’Brien is the Head Trainer at The House Barbell Club Over the years, Joey has gotten more and more involved with Best Buddies, and is now a coach for the Special Olympics Powerlifting Team, Barbell Buddies! Joey cares about the health and wellness journey for all people When he isn’t at The House moving working on his gains, he is probably running, hiking, or pushing the limits!

Stephen likes to have a good time, so he got involved with Best Buddies! He came to the Champion of the Year Gala two years in a row as a guest, and thought that this year, he should come as a Champion! He is helping homes stay powered through solar power with Sun collectors, and when he isn’t doing that, he loves to travel and attend concerts with his better half!

Kate is a former Best Buddies staff member from Wisconsin So, she is all about Best Buddies mission of inclusion Kate currently resides in Springfield, IL where she has joined the Springfield Citizens Chapter She recently got married and will represent Best Buddies in Springfield for the Central Illinois Board being created for 2025!

Sarah Mabee

Joey O’Brien

Stephen Squires

Kate Zinnecker

Thank You To Our In-Kind Sponsors

Thank You To Our Additional Sponsors

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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.

Counties with Jobs and Friendships

Counties with Friendships