Welcome to the 2025 Champion of the Year Gala!
Tonight, we come together to celebrate the incredible community that makes Best Buddies possible - our Champions, supporters, sponsors, volunteers, and friends. Each of you plays a vital role in advancing inclusion and creating a world where everyone is valued, respected, and embraced.
For more than 35 years, Best Buddies has worked to end the social, physical, and economic isolation of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) through friendship, leadership, and opportunity. This mission continues to thrive here in Pennsylvania, where our network now includes 167 schools and serves over 8,000 students statewide, building thousands of friendships and leadership opportunities that change lives every day.
We are also proud to see Best Buddies Living in State College flourish - a groundbreaking program empowering adults with IDD to live independently in a supportive, inclusive community. This vibrant environment fosters essential life skills, social engagement, and belonging for all who call it home.
Tonight’s gala is a testament to the strength of our shared vision and the passion that unites us. This celebration would not be possible without the generosity of our sponsors, advisory board members, volunteers, and event participants. Your commitment fuels our mission and ensures that inclusion continues to grow across our state.
As we celebrate together, may you be inspired by the friendships, stories, and joy that define Best Buddies. Thank you for believing in the power of inclusion and for being an essential part of the Best Buddies family.
Samantha Civitate State Director, Best Buddies in Pennsylvania
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!
NOVEMBER 20, 2025
THE IVY AT ELLIS PRESERVE
3805 WEST CHESTER PIKE
NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA 19073
TONIGHT’S PROGRAM
6:00 PM Cocktails & Silent Auction
7:15 PM Program Begins
7:35 PM Dinner Served
8:15 PM Silent Auction Closes
8:25 PM Live Auction
9:15 PM Champion Announced
9:30 PM Dance Party
2024 Champion of the Year
Randy Hope Steen
We’re proud to recognize Randy Hope Steen, attorney at the Law Office of Randy Hope Steen, as last year’s Best Buddies in Pennsylvania Grand Champion of the Year! Randy raised over $10,000 through her Champion campaign, a testament to her passion, leadership, and commitment to creating opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities
With over 30 years of experience as a sophisticated estate planning attorney, Randy brings deep expertise in retirement, estate, and business planning, as well as international estate and IRS controversy work. Beyond her impressive professional accomplishments, Randy is deeply committed to giving back especially through special needs planning for adults and children with disabilities
Randy embodies what it means to be a Champion: combining professional excellence with a heart for service and inclusion. Her dedication helps ensure that more individuals across Pennsylvania have access to lasting friendships, leadership development, and inclusive living opportunities through Best Buddies
Thank you, Randy, for your incredible impact — and for showing what’s possible when compassion meets action!
MEET OUR 2025
CHAMPIONS!
ALLIE COHEN
ANGELA MOSCOSO
DANIELLE OEHLERT
TALIA TOMARCHIO
MELA SANON & ABDUL AZIZ-HINTON
FRIENDSHIP PROGRAMS
Best Buddies Friendship programs represent one of our organization’s five key mission pillars. These programs build one-to-one friendships between people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), offering social interactions while improving the quality of life and level of inclusion for a population that is often isolated and excluded. Through their participation, people with IDD form meaningful connections with their peers, gain self-confidence and selfesteem, and share interests, experiences and activities that many other individuals enjoy.
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Meet Our Auctioneer: Matt Newsom
How to Bid
As a Hairy Cell Leukemia survivor, the first galas Matt supported benefited the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society who developed the treatment that put him into remission. His life experiences have brought him to benefit auctioneering. Being a benefit auctioneer allows him to put all three of these strengths to work for each of his non-profit partners. Matt says, “Doing what I’m good at plus doing what I enjoy plus helping so many worthy causes is the perfect combination for me!” Register: Text
Donate:
Text the word GIVE and amount (dollar sign not required) to (76278)
*You can also bid in the silent auction once you’ve registered.
This Year’s Entertainment
Best Buddies Ambassador, Paige Donovan
Paige Donovan is a longtime Best Buddies participant and a member of Best Buddies in Pennsylvania’s inaugural Ambassador Academy Class She also served as a PECO Energy Force Ambassador, graduating in Spring 2025, representing the Best Buddies Organization.
Paige serves as a friendly face welcoming friends new and old to our Citizens events and works at the Center for Creative Works
The State Street Miracles
The State Street Miracles is a performance troupe of adults with intellectual disabilities who are ambassadors in song Formed in 2006 and sponsored by The Media Theatre, the troupe features adults who have various developmental disabilities. The members experience improved speech and articulation, better independence and decision-making, increased selfesteem, and most importantly, they’ve formed friendships with their fellow performers and the theatre staff.
MEET THE PENNSYLVANIA TEAM
SAMANTHA CIVITATE
State Director
OLIVIA STECKMAN Senior Program Manager
EMILY SOKOLOWSKI Area Director, Philadelphia
FALLON DERIGGI Director, Development, Pittsburgh
SYDNEY BOUDER Program Manager, Eastern Pennsylvania
MADISON SMITH
Residential Manager, Best Buddies Living
ELISE HASSINGER Program Manager, Western Pennsylvania
PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS
PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS
EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA
ADVISORY BOARD
CORY GILBERT
Best Buddies Parent Executive, Merck
LISA HOLZ
Best Buddies Ambassador Employee, Wegmans Bakery
JONATHON HUGG
Best Buddies Parent Member/Attorney, Eckert Seamans
ASHLEY LONG
Best Buddies Advisor & Autistic Support Teacher, Kennett Middle School
STEVE PAUL
Best Buddies Citizens Member Enterprise Account Executive, BREX
SHAQUITA RIVERS-MCKAY
Best Buddies Parent Health & Wellness Program Manager, CHOP
HEATHER VAN HORN
Best Buddies Advisor & Special Education Department Chair, Lower Merion High School
STUDENT ADVISORY BOARD
MISSION & RESOURCE COMMITTEE
KASARA OSTROFF,
CO-CHAIR
DeSales University
CAROLINE ATTEWELL
Franklin Towne Charter High School
MIA CORSI-MARTENS
Downingtown East High School
ELLA KINDLEBERGER
Duquesne University
CARLY LYDON
Butler Area Senior High School
GRACE MAYHUGH
Knoch High School
LEAH POSKIN
Butler Area Senior High School
KENEDY SCHUMMER
Perkiomen Valley High School
FUNDRAISING & EVENTS COMMITTEE
NOA ADELMAN, CO-CHAIR
North Allegheny High School
RILEY CARREL
Mars Area High School
ELIZABETH GRONDIN
Avon Grove High School
SOPHIE JACKSON
Strath Haven High School
ABBY KAUFFMAN
Thomas Jefferson High School
MADISON MACCIOCCA
West Chester East High School
DELAYNEE MCCULLY
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
ALESSIA REVELLI
Susquehanna University
THANK YOU TO OUR
Ashley Long
Sammi-Jo Cantor
Andrea Davis
Kristie Landry
Melisa Riener
Diane Rizzo
Brianna Wolfle
Kaitlin Olson
Longwood Gardens
The Cantor Family
The Philadelphia Wings
The Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Opera Brandwine River Musuem
The Spencer Family
The Philadelpia Flyers
The Philadelphia Auto Show
Helium Comedy Club
Danielle Oehlert
Kristen Ostrom
AACA Museum
Turning Point
Bournelyf Special Camp
Paladar
Tito’s
Helium Comedy Club
Philadelphia Art Museum
The Philadelphia Phillies
Lehigh Valley Zoo
Costco
Elite Island Resorts
Laura Nicolini
Molly Whalen
Founding Farmers
O So Sweet Bakery Cafe
Anitca Italian Restaurant
Chadds Ford Tavern Wawa
W&M Wellness Spa
King Fu Tea
Uniquely Abled Fitness
Peddler’s Village
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Honored to support
We’reproudto support BestBuddies’missionto promote one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development, and inclusive living for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Congratulations to all the 2025 candidates for Best Buddies PennsylvaniaChampion of the Year.
All
High
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