Statements

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, and inclusive living for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Background

Best Buddies is the world's largest organization dedicated to ending the social, physical, and economic isolation of 200 million people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Our programs empower the special abilities of people with IDD by helping them form meaningful friendships with their peers, secure successful jobs, live independently, improve public speaking, self-advocacy, and communication skills, and feel valued by society.

Best Buddies envisions a world where people with IDD are so successfully integrated into schools, workplaces, and communities that its current efforts and services will be unnecessary. Until that vision becomes a reality, the organization will continue to educate middle school, high school and college students, community members, corporations and employers about the emotional, functional, and natural needs and abilities of people with IDD.

Impact

Best Buddies seeks to establish clear, far-reaching objectives with the goal of further expanding the global impact of the organization's four mission pillars - One-to-one Friendships, Integrated Employment, Leadership Development, and Inclusive Living for individuals with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Best Buddies developed the following set of programmatic goals to chart our strategic vision forward into the next decade:

Increase the number of Best Buddies school and community chapters.

Develop Jobs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities around the world.

Train Buddy Ambassadors.

Engage over individuals to walk or ride for inclusion to support the Best Buddies mission.

Recruit Best Buddies Champions - all working to promote our mission in communities around the world.

Needs

Best Buddies helps young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities shape a secure future by giving them the tools they need to be self-reliant, active participants in their communities, and by empowering them to self-advocate. Additionally, our programs create a ripple effect of change by training students without disabilities in socially responsible leadership, and by giving them an opportunity to learn about the struggles of, and to advocate for, a segment of society that is largely marginalized. These friendship opportunities will help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities learn the social skills necessary to engage in the life of their communities, and to secure and maintain meaningful employment. They will also help prepare society for the successful integration of all people with disabilities.

CEO Statement

For Best Buddies in Tennessee, 2021 was a year of resilience, adaptation, and growth. As the effects of the pandemic continued to be felt by our community, the needs for togetherness and inclusion were only amplified. We met these needs head-on by investing in our programs team and exploring new ways to serve the mission.

In January, we brought on a Programs Supervisor, Morgan Tansey, to oversee programmatic efforts and provide boots on the ground in Memphis. In addition to developing a breadth of virtual events for our participants whose in-person opportunities were limited, Morgan led a concerted effort on statewide expansion going into the 2021-2022 school year. By the time fall rolled around, we had nearly 100 active school chapters including three new counties - Rhea, Grundy, and Henry - and our first ever homeschool chapter. We continue to strongly believe in bringing Best Buddies' friendship and leadership development programs to more communities across Tennessee!

This perseverance was mirrored in our Jobs program. After an unprecedented year in 2020, our team responded in a big way in 2021, ending the year with a record-high 52 active placements and an impressive 92% retention rate! In the fall, the Jobs team was also one of two providers invited to work with TennCare to execute the 2022 National Core Indicators survey, a huge testament to their standing in the field.

We look forward to continued development in our Jobs program.

To generate the funds needed to sustain and grow these programs, we held a virtual Friendship Fest in the spring before hosting the Best Buddies Gala at the Factory at Franklin in November. The Gala marked our first in-person event since the pandemic; our key stakeholders and participants were thrilled to come together in the name of inclusion, and we exceeded our revenue goal of $235,000. At the Gala, we also honored our outgoing Advisory Board Chair, Eddie Pearson, named Maggie Spalding as his successor, and announced me as our new State Director!

Best Buddies in Tennessee is entering the new year with pride in our direction and optimism for the future, and we value our partners who are leading the way to a more inclusive Tennessee.

Board Chair Statement

I have seen firsthand the impact this organization has on individuals with and without IDD in our community. Students without IDD learn the importance of inclusion and to focus on people for their abilities rather than differences. People with IDD develop advocacy skills to be leaders in the community and have the opportunity to create meaningful friendships and be seen for their abilities in the community.

The stories shared with me by parents, teachers, and the individuals themselves are inspiring. These programs change lives. Whether it is through a friendship in one of our school-based chapters, an integrated job in the community, or being a self-advocate in the community, these programs matter and are critical for this population. The truth is, without Best Buddies, individuals with IDD often ride separate busses and sit in segregated classrooms, are relegated to repetitive and entry level jobs, and are a forgotten and unsupported population.

But not anymore. Since the inception of programs in Tennessee, the narrative for this population and their families has changed. Individuals are active within their schools, employers are educated about the business benefits of hiring people with IDD, and communities are open and accepting of people regardless of their abilities.

Beginning with school programming in elementary schools all the way through college, supporting individuals in securing meaningful employment, and ongoing supports throughout their entire life. Our programs positively impact more than 60,000 individuals throughout Tennessee.

- Maggie Spalding

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Human Services  - Developmentally Disabled Services/Centers
Secondary Category:	Youth Development  - Adult, Child Matching Programs
Tertiary Category:	Human Services  - Developmentally Disabled Services/Centers

Areas Served

Our goal is to obtain the funding needed to serve people with intellectual disabilities in all counties across Tennessee.

TN - Williamson

TN - Davidson

TN - Rutherford

TN - Cheatham

TN - Sumner

TN - Wilson

TN - Maury

TN - Montgomery