Frequently Asked Questions
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What is Best Buddies?
Best Buddies is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to creating opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through one-on-one friendships.
What are intellectual and developmental disabilities?
Intellectual and developmental disabilities are defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as “…significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.”
How did Best Buddies start?
Anthony K. Shriver founded Best Buddies in 1989. It became Best Buddies International in 1992 with the opening of chapters in Greece.
What are the Best Buddies programs?
Best Buddies has seven programs: citizens, which matches people in communities; colleges, which matches people in a college environment; high schools, which pairs high school students with buddies; middle schools, which matches middle school buddies; jobs, which helps integrate people with disabilities into the job community; ambassadors, which educates and empowers people with disabilities to be leaders in the community; and e-Buddies, which is an email pen pal program for people with disabilities.
How do Best Buddies programs help people with IDD?
Best Buddies encourages one-on-one friendships with individuals with disabilities because such individuals are often excluded by society. Best Buddies seeks to change society’s perception of people with disabilities by providing opportunities for disabled individuals to form relationships and integrate into society.
What is Best Buddies at Virginia Tech?
Best Buddies at Virginia Tech is one of the international organization’s 425 college chapters and is dedicated to spreading the Best Buddies mission throughout the New River Valley. Students are paired with buddies to form one-on-one friendships through individual and group activities.
How did Best Buddies at Virginia Tech start?
Student Kaitlyn Hercik founded Best Buddies at Virginia Tech in 2005.
Who leads Best Buddies at Virginia Tech?
Best Buddies at Virginia Tech has experienced a complete officer turnover in the 2011 school year. The new Best Buddies at Virginia Tech officers are: Kasey Owen, college buddy director; Rebecca Rosenberg, membership coordinator; Ankit Patel, activities coordinator; Alice Ryland, treasurer; Lauren Summerill, outreach chair; and Megan Ledoux, photographer and historian. The student government association representative is undetermined.
Who are Best Buddies at Virginia Tech’s partners?
Best Buddies at Virginia Tech is partnered with Alpha Phi Omega, a service fraternity at Virginia Tech, and the Virginia Tech Psychology Club.
How do I join Best Buddies at Virginia Tech?
To join Best Buddies at Virginia Tech, please contact Kasey Owens, college buddy director and president, at 434-907-1603 or [email protected]; or please contact Bridget Meneghini, host site coordinator, at 540-961-8393 or [email protected].