Best Buddies International

Best Buddies Middle Schools promotes one-on-one friendships of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities with students without any disabilities.[5] The program takes place within the school itself, between the attending students. This program allows social inclusion for disabled students early in their educational career.

Best Buddies High School Club promotes one-on-one friendships between students with intellectual and developmental disabilities and those without a disability, within the school.[5] This program tries to break social barriers at a difficult time in a teenager’s life, with or without a disability. Members spend time together during lunch break, before or after school. There are special events created in which allows the students to be creative, share and contribute with one another.

Best Buddies College promotes one-on-one friendships between adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and college students.[5] Colleges pair up with a group home in the area and work with the adults there, providing them with a chance to be involved with the community since these adults are generally abandoned by family and have difficulties getting careers.

Best Buddies Citizens promotes one-on-one friendships between adults with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities. This program is used to help incorporate adults with disabilities into civic communities. The goal is to create a diverse community and allow adults with disabilities to be a key part of society.[7]

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.

Best Buddies Jobs is a program that makes sure people with intellectual and developmental disabilities get competitive paying jobs and equal employment. This program provides a support system for both the employee with a disability and the employer.[8]

e-Buddies is an e-mail pen pal program designed for people with disabilities, 10 years old and up, and peer volunteers. This allows people with disabilities to learn communication skills through various media.[9]

The Best Buddies Living program encourages people with and without IDD to live together in a vibrant community that is focused on supporting all residents in accomplishing their life goals and dreams.

The Best Buddies Friendship Walk began in 2009 and has since spread to over 24 states. The Friendship Walk has raised over $2 million for Best Buddies. Each state that participates in the Friendship walk can hold the event whenever they wish and as often as they wish. The purpose of the walk is to raise money for Best Buddies[13] while creating an atmosphere for new friendships to prosper and inclusion for all.

The Best Buddies Challenge[14] is the organization's largest fundraising initiative, sponsored by German car manufacturer Audi. It consists of three annual events in the United States in which participants cycle, walk or run. Participants are encouraged to participate alongside Best Buddies, those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Challenge Location Cycling Distance Run/Walk Distance Start Finish Hyannis Port 100,50, or 20-miles 5K Boston, Massachusetts Hyannis Port Hearst Castle 100,62,20, or 15-miles 5K Carmel, California San Simeon, California Washington, D.C 100,62, or 20-miles 5K Washington Monument Washington Monument Miami 100K ---- Marlins Park Marlins Park

The Best Buddies Leadership Conference is a program offered at the Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. The program has four education tracks that are meant for different positions within a chapter or community. The conference takes place once a year for four days. Through the four days, participants go to workshops, seminars, and events.

Some of the conference highlights are:

• Leadership development and public speaking sessions
• Learning about the disabilities rights movement

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.

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 Audi Best Buddies Challenge: Washington, D.C. In addition to being the title sponsor for this event, 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.[15]

Audi has also agreed to support the beginning of Best Buddies Jobs Washington, D.C. Audi had been sponsoring Best Buddies since 2007 and plans to continue to do so through December 31, 2014.[5]

Best Buddies is attempting to create relationships with organizations in countries in the Middle East.[16]

In 2007, Anthony Kennedy Shriver announced the opening of a new accredited program in Doha, Qatar in collaboration with the Shafallah Center for Children with Special Needs, a nonprofit charitable organization.

As of January 2018, Best Buddies had chapters in 50 countries around the world, spanning in six continents. [17][18]