| Founder(s) | Anthony Kennedy Shriver |
|---|---|
| Type | Service |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Location | Miami, FL |
| Origins | Georgetown University |
| Area served | International |
| Focus | To enhance the lives of people with intellectual disabilities |
| Method | Community service |
| Motto | WE ARE BEST BUDDIES™ |
| Website | www.bestbuddies.org |
Best Buddies International is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. It consists of volunteers that attempt to create opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
Founded in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver, Best Buddies is an international organization that has grown from one original chapter to more than 1,500 college, high school and middle school campuses across the country and internationally.[1]
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Best Buddies programs engage participants in each of the 50 United States. They have accredited international programs on six continents with additional country programs under active development. They have seven formal programs – Best Buddies Citizens, Colleges, e-Buddies®, High Schools, Jobs, Middle Schools and Ambassadors. These programs have affected more than 700,000 individuals in 2009.
When people with IDD are unable to attain or maintain a job, it is most often due to an absence of social skills rather than an inadequacy to perform the work required. Best Buddies introduces socialization opportunities and job coaching, to aid people with IDD to become more independent and integrated into the community.
Best Buddies Citizens matches people with IDD with individuals in the corporate and civic communities.
Best Buddies Colleges pairs people with IDD with college students. By becoming a College Buddy, volunteers offer a Peer Buddy the chance to explore a new way of life. College chapters have grown from one single chapter at Georgetown to active chapters on more than 425 campuses worldwide.
Best Buddies Jobs helps individuals attain and maintain jobs of their own choosing by providing ongoing support and training, enabling people with IDD to earn an income, pay taxes, and work in an environment alongside others in the community. Since its inception, Best Buddies Jobs has placed more than 500 individuals in integrated employment positions.
Started in 2001, Best Buddies Middle Schools have chapters in 145 middle school campuses pairing students with IDD.
e-Buddies®[2] is an e-mail pen pal program designed for people with IDD, 10 years old and up, and peer volunteers.[3]
Best Buddies Ambassadors is intended to train people with IDD to be leaders and public speakers in their schools, communities, and workplace. It is intended to be a part of the Disability Rights Movement - teaching people with IDD the skills needed to successfully self advocate. The program is intended to prepare people with IDD to become active agents of change.[4]
The Best Buddies Challenge[5] is the organization's largest fundraising initiative, sponsored by German car manufacturer Audi. It consists of several annual events in the United States in which participants cycle, walk or run. Participants are encouraged to participate along side their Best Buddies, those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Members of the Kennedy-Shriver family attend all of the events, as do other celebrities and Olympians who support the organization.
The Audi Best Buddies Challenge: Hyannis Port occurs annually in June. The course runs from Boston, Massachusetts to Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. The event includes a 100, 50, or 20-mile bike ride through the New England countryside, or a 3K walk or 5K run.
The Audi Best Buddies Challenge: Hearst Castle occurs annually in September. The course runs from Carmel, California to San Simeon, California. The event includes 100, 62 (100 km), 30, and 15-mile courses down the Pacific Coast Highway, or a 3K walk or 5K run.
Leadership has been provided by Eunice Kennedy Shriver with her sons Anthony and Timothy. Best Buddies and Special Olympics sponsored for the inaugural Eunice Kennedy Shriver Challenge ,[6] presented by Audi in 2010 in Washington, D.C..
There was a 20 miles (32 km) bike ride through Washington DC and the surrounding areas of the Nation's Capital, or a 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) walk or 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) run. The event was followed by a luncheon on the National Mall.[7]
89% of all revenue goes directly to Best Buddies programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), while only 11% is spent on administration and fundraising.needs WP:RELY citation}}
In June 2007, Audi became the exclusive automotive sponsor of Best Buddies International. The five-year partnership supports projects within the Americas as well as fundraising events in Europe and overseas.
Through Audi sponsorship, Best Buddies International was able to raise more than US$11.8 million for Best Buddies programs from events in Palm Beach, Hyannis Port, Hearst Castle, New York, Washington and Miami in 2008. The “Friendship Drives” in Las Vegas and Miami generated more than 500 test-drives and leads.
The partnership started with the introduction of the Audi RS4 Friendship Car designed by Romero Britto. Introduced in April 2007 at Art Chicago, the car toured cities between New York and Mexico City, culminating in Miami, where it was sold at a live auction benefiting the charity.
Audi is the title sponsor of the Best Buddies Challenge: Hearst Castle in California and the Best Buddies Challenge: Hyannis Port in Massachusetts. In addition to being the title sponsor for these Challenges, Audi is featured at all other Best Buddies national events. Best Buddies and Audi also collaborate on a variety of cause marketing programs throughout the year that take place on both the national and regional levels.[9]
The charity has announced a 2010 Initiative.[10]
Best Buddies is attempting to create relationships with organizations in countries in the Middle East.[11]
In 2007, Anthony Kennedy Shriver announced in Doha, Qatar opened a new accredited program in collaboration with the Shafallah Center for Children with Special Needs, a nonprofit charitable organization.[12][13]
The Millennium School in Dubai has developed a Best Buddies program.[14]