You’re making a difference Thank you!
Message From Our Chairman
Dear Friends,
The support we’ve received from our incredible community has been nothing short of extraordinary. Thanks to your generosity, 2024 is shaping up to be a year of tremendous growth and success for Best Buddies. Together with you, our Buddies, volunteers, and staff have surpassed our outreach goals, expanding programs around the globe. We’ve fostered new friendships, secured more jobs for our Buddies, and empowered them to become leaders in their communities. This year, we opened five inclusive living sites near colleges, with five more on the way—an accomplishment made possible through your support.
We are also excited to share the launch of our newest initiative, Family Support, through the *Eunie’s Buddies* program. This groundbreaking effort provides mentors to families who experience both the joys and challenges of raising a child with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This program, along with our other initiatives, would not be possible without the generosity of donors like you.
Your contributions are the driving force behind everything we achieve. With your continued support, we will be able to expand our programs even further, reach more individuals, and continue changing lives for the better.
On behalf of the entire Best Buddies community, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for believing in our mission. We look forward to partnering with you as we continue this life-changing work. Together, we’re making the world a more inclusive and supportive place.
In Friendship,
Anthony K. Shriver, Founder, Chairman & CEO, Best Buddies International
One-To-One Friendships
We are BEST BUDDIES®
Best Buddies is the largest organization dedicated to ending the social, physical, and economic isolation of the 200 million people worldwide with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Our programs empower people with IDD to form meaningful friendships with their peers, secure jobs, improve communication and advocacy skills, and live independently, while also offering support for their families.
Mission
Best Buddies International is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development, inclusive living, and family support for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
Who We Serve
Best Buddies serves individuals with IDD and their families. The IDD community includes, but is not limited to, people with Down syndrome, autism, Fragile X, Williams syndrome, and other undiagnosed disabilities.
Programs
Best Buddies programs sit on the five key mission pillars below:
• One-to-One Friendships
• Integrated Employment
• Leadership Development
• Inclusive Living
• Family Support
One-To-One Friendships
Builds friendships between people with and without IDD, offering social mentoring while improving the quality of life and level of inclusion for a population that is often isolated and excluded.
BESTBUDDIES ® Elementary Schools, Middle Schools, High Schools, Colleges, & Citizens
Creates an inclusive community for students and adults with IDD, helping them become socially integrated with their peers at every age.
e-BUDDIES ®
Provides opportunities for participants with and without IDD to form virtual one-to-one friendships, create connections in the e-Buddies social platform, and attend social events online.
Integrated Employment
Secures jobs for people with IDD, empowering them to earn an income, pay taxes, and independently support themselves through their professional accomplishments.
BESTBUDDIES ® Jobs
Matches skilled, qualified individuals with IDD with businesses seeking enthusiastic and dedicated employees. Through the Jobs program, Best Buddies develops partnerships with employers, assists with the hiring process and provides ongoing support to the employee and employer.
Leadership Development
Educates and empowers people with and without IDD to become leaders, public speakers, and advocates.
BESTBUDDIES ® Ambassadors
Offers people with and without IDD the opportunity to gain the public speaking skills, self-esteem, and confidence needed to successfully advocate for themselves, their peers, and Best Buddies in communities and workplaces.
BESTBUDDIES ® Promoters
Empowers youth to become advocates for people with IDD and helps chapters organize special events that promote inclusion and bring awareness to the disability rights movement.
BESTBUDDIES ® Transitions
Offers a combination of classroom-based training, experiential learning, and corporate mentorship to help students with IDD explore postsecondary options, prepare for independent living, and identify career ambitions.
Inclusive Living
Provides an integrated experience in which people with and without IDD are active, contributing citizens – living independently in a dynamic environment where they can learn, grow, and thrive.
BESTBUDDIES ® Living
Offers individuals with and without IDD an opportunity to live together in a vibrant, educational community that supports all residents in advancing their employment, financial literacy, continued education, and life skills as they work to achieve their personal goals.
Family Support
Provides families access to individual connections and community resources that assist them on their journey of supporting a family member with IDD.
Eunie’s BESTBUDDIES ®
Connects families who are expecting or have a young child with IDD to experienced parents of a child with IDD, encouraging a genuine relationship rooted in mentorship, resource-sharing, and guidance.
One-to-One
Friendship Programs
Without love, support and friends, life may feel isolating and lonely. This is a reality people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) have faced throughout history. Best Buddies offers people with IDD the chance to have a friend, gain self-confidence and self-esteem and share interests, experiences and activities that many of us enjoy.
2,864 Total Chapters 120,385 Total Participants One-To-One
Because of you!
More than 2,864 friendship chapters are being supported.
Gracie and Carmen, Best Buddies Ambassadors
Integrated Employment Program
Since its inception, Best Buddies Jobs has assisted thousands of participants in earning an income, paying taxes, receiving benefits and working in an environment alongside others in the community. The Jobs program offers the opportunity for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to become financially independent through their own efforts, removing the need for government assistance or parental support. This program focuses on white-collar jobs, which sets it apart from so many others. Best Buddies assists individuals in finding jobs that are enjoyable, inclusive and competitive in terms of pay.
Integrated Employment
2,182 Participants Employed
Average Total Participant Stats 25,743 $4,296,829 1,338,636 $21,484,145
You helped!
2,182 people with IDD find job opportunities.
Anthony Shriver (left), Peter Cancro, Founder of Jersey Mike’s (right) and jobs participants
Leadership Development Programs
Best Buddies educates and empowers people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to become leaders, public speakers and change agents. Through the Ambassadors and Promoters programs, participants inspire their communities to build a more inclusive world for people with IDD.
Program Participants
18,495
Total Participants
Thanks to you!
2,280 participants have developed the skills to become Best Buddies Ambassadors. To see some of their inspiring stories, go to BESTBUDDIES.ORG/ GLOBAL-AMBASSADOR
Tony Ozengovitch, Best Buddies Ambassador
Inclusive Living Program
Supporting and empowering individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to live as integrated, contributing members in the larger community is the next frontier in the movement to create a more inclusive society. Best Buddies Living fosters a dynamic environment where people with IDD can learn, grow and thrive.
Active residences Residences in development*
Current Locations
Union Market in Washington DC, aligned with Catholic University
Miami FL, aligned with University of Miami
Georgetown in Washington DC, aligned with Georgetown University
*Gainesville FL, aligned with University of Florida
Los Angeles CA, aligned with UCLA
Atlanta GA, aligned with Georgia Tech
*Clemson SC, aligned with Clemson University
*Nashville TN, aligned with Vanderbilt University
*New Brunswick NJ, aligned with Rutgers University
*State College PA, aligned with Penn State University
Family Support Program
Eunie’s Buddies
Family Support, our newest program, provides families access to individual connections and community resources that assist them on their journey of supporting a family member with IDD. Eunie’s Buddies, named in honor of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, connects families who are expecting or have a young child with IDD to experienced parents of a child with IDD, encouraging a genuine relationship rooted in mentorship, resource sharing, and guidance.
Family Support
THE VALUE OF MENTORSHIP
The Value of MENTORSHIP
Caroline, Lily and David Cardenas
