Best Buddies Champion of the Year is a 10-week blind fundraising competition between local community leaders. Through raising funds and awareness for Best Buddies, our Champions will generate countless opportunities for friendships, jobs, leadership development, and inclusive living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
At the campaign’s conclusion, we come together at a gala to celebrate the Champions' accomplishments, honor their collective impact, and name the grand Champion of the Year!
Best Buddies International is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for oneto-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development, and inclusive living for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)
The IDD community that Best Buddies serves includes, but is not limited to, people with Down syndrome, autism, Fragile X, Williams syndrome, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury and other undiagnosed disabilities
Event Overview
Welcome Friends of Best Buddies!
My heart is filled with gratitude for the remarkable im we are making together through Best Buddies. Thank for joining us tonight at the 2025 Champion of the Yea Gala! Your enthusiasm and commitment drive the success of this event and play a vital role in fostering inclusion, friendship, and opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) across San Diego
Supporting Best Buddies is deeply personal for me. I h transformative power of this mission through my daughter, Kylie, whose friendships in her Best Buddies chapter have brought such joy and meaning to her life. I believe so strongly in our cause and am honored to lead this organization in creating more opportunities for understanding, acceptance, and connection in our community.
Since launching our Jobs program in 2023, Best Buddies San Diego has empowered six individuals with IDD to secure meaningful employment across a range of industries or to develop the professional skills needed to reach their career goals. As a business leader, I’m thrilled that my company, High Flying Foods, hired a Best Buddies Jobs participant in the Bay Area this year and is now looking to expand hiring here in San Diego
Our reach continues to grow with 26 Friendship program chapters, 17 trained Ambassadors, and 25 Citizen matches. These programs provide individuals with and without IDD the chance to build lasting friendships and help create communities rooted in inclusivity and respect
I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to this year’s partners: Sodexo and High Flying Foods. Your support is invaluable, and it’s a privilege to have the backing of companies that believe in inclusion and the power of employment for individuals with IDD My thanks also go to my fellow advisory board members and the dedicated Best Buddies staff for their tireless work to make tonight a success. And to our Champions, Mission Partners, and Campaign Managers your commitment to our mission and your dedication to making a difference inspire us all.
Together, we are building a brighter and more inclusive future in San Diego. Thank you for being here, for believing in this mission, and for being part of the Best Buddies family
Sincerely,
Kimberly Hazard San Diego Advisory Board Chair
2024 Champion of the Year
Meg Heidrick-Barnes
Raised $14,150 for Best Buddies in San Diego!
Silent Auction Online Bidding Process
How to register for the auction:
Text SDCOY25 to 76278
How to find an item:
You can find items by pressing any one of the buttons on the main menu or by using the search bar to find a specific item or category
How to bid on an item:
1 Find the item you’d like to bid on online
2. Select the item and place a “bid”
3. Place an auto bid to set a maximum bid
How to find the items you bid on:
Items you have bid on can be found under “my activity”
How to tell if you were outbid:
You will receive a text message when you’ve been outbid Alternatively, navigate to “my activity” to check the status of your bids
Online Donation Process
How to donate:
Go to SDCOY25.givesmart.com or click on the text you received at check-in
Click on the "donate" tab
Select the Champion you would like to credit
Choose your amount or easily enter a custom one on your own Confirm your donation - you may be prompted to enter a credit card at this time if you did not provide one at registration
Bid From the Heart
The Value of Your Donation
Best Buddies helps individuals with IDD form meaningful friendships, secure competitive jobs, live independently, and improve self-advocacy skills. Learn more about how your donation can equate to programmatic support.
$5,000
• Give the gift of friendship. Bring together people with and without IDD for friendships that cultivate community-wide social inclusion, by funding a new school, citizens, or corporate chapter in the Best Buddies Friendship program.
$2,500
• Fund an all-day Ambassadors training session for up to 50 people with and without IDD, where attendees will gain the public speaking skills and confidence needed to champion inclusion throughout their community
$1,000
• Give a student leader, Ambassador, or Jobs participant the opportunity to attend the annual Best Buddies Leadership Conference at Indiana University. BBLC brings together participants and volunteers from around the world, empowering them with the skills and resources to create inclusive schools, workplaces, and communities.
$500
• Host a Citizens event for adults with and without IDD, bringing together up to 50 people for friendship and connection.
• Provide shirts for 50 BBLC attendees to show their California pride at IU.
$250
• Transportation for at least 2 ambassadors to give public speeches and hone their advocacy skills.
• The cost of a pizza party for a school chapter to celebrate their inclusion efforts
Champion Candidates
Ella Bentley
Sufi Karaien
Jocelyn Kobayashi
Yuhan Liu
Suzanne McGuire
Vanessa Ocana
Brandon Reynolds
Sean Rial
Bella Stanger
Hailey Topolovac
Faith Tyssee
Mission Partners & Campaign Managers
Jake Elguira
Adrian Calderon
Michael Sermineto
Jeff Noyes & Martha Avila
Tristan McGuire & Cassidy Ritter
Kim Posin-McConnell & Kevin Stevenson
Wesley Cooksy
Eric & Jenny Rial
Lyla Stanger & Ivette Castro
Sophia Del Mar
Don &
Thank you to our Sponsors!
A community of supporters bridging gaps so that everyone is included.
Be the Bridge. Donate Monthly!
Everyone deserves to feel like a contributing member of society. YOU can create a pathway from isolation to inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) through a monthly gift. Join The Bridge and connect these individuals to much-needed opportunities through Best Buddies’ friendship, job, leadership development, and inclusive living programs!
200 million people have IDD. Enrich lives & make a lasting impact for as little as $10 per month!
MISSION HISTORY
We are the world's largest organization dedicated to ending the social, physical, and economic isolation of the 200 million people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
WHO WE SERVE
Founded in 1989 by Anthony K Shriver, Best Buddies has grown from one original chapter to nearly 2,900 chapters worldwide, positively impacting the lives of over 1.25 million people with and without IDD Best Buddies programs engage participants in each of the 50 states and 54 countries around the world. The IDD community that Best Buddies serves includes, but is not limited to, people with Down syndrome, autism, Fragile X, Williams syndrome, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, and other undiagnosed disabilities.
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, inclusive living, and family support for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
VISION
To put Best Buddies out of business. 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 students, community members, corporations, and employers about the emotional, functional, and natural needs and abilities of people with IDD
San Diego Friendship Chapters & Jobs Placements
Elementary School Chapters
Burbank Elementary School
Chaparral Elementary School
Lemon Crest Elementary School
Roger Rowe Elementary School
High School Chapters
Academy of our Lady of Peace
Carlsbad High School
Cathedral Catholic High School
Coronado High School
Del Norte High School
Eastlake High School
Escondido High School
Grossmont High School
Orange Glen High School
Pacific Ridge School
Ramona High School
Rancho Bernardo High School
Santana High School
Torrey Pines High School
Valley Center High School
West Hills High School
Westview High School
Middle School Chapters
Bernardo Heights Middle School
Coronado Middle School
Oak Valley Middle School
College Chapters
San Diego State University
University of California, San Diego
Employer Partners Department of Rehabilitation
JLL Amazon GREF Jersey Mikes
Michael's
SodexoLive
One-to-One
JOIN A CHAPTER
Join an existing school chapter! We have clubs at schools with & without special education programs.
START A CHAPTER
Friendship
JOIN CITIZENS (18+)
Make a friend while participating in inclusive activities with adults with and without IDD in your local area.
Conduct a practice interview for a jobseeking participant. We'll provide the interview questions, you ask away!
Be an inclusion leader by starting a chapter!
Receive support from Best Buddies staff every step of the way.
JOIN E-BUDDIES
Promote workplace readiness by teaching job skills to participants who are seeking competitive employment.
Sign up for our email-based pen pal program. E-Buddies provides virtual one-to-one friendship opportunities.
Chat with Best Buddies participants about your job and offer advice on how to enter into your career field.
HOST A MOCK INTERVIEW
Integrated Employment
Share the mission by encouraging your employer to participate in Best Buddies events and programs.
JOIN A CAREER PANEL
INVOLVE YOUR EMPLOYER
Leadership Development
BECOME AN AMBASSADOR
Attend an ambassador training to learn speech writing, public speaking, and advocacy skills.
BE A SPEECH COACH
BRING AN AMBASSADOR TO YOUR COMMUNITY
Invite an ambassador to speak about inclusion at your school or workplace!
Support the event planning process by joining a committee. Assist with logistics, publicity, sponsorships, and more!
Attend a training as a speech coach to support an individual on their journey to becoming an ambassador.
Get a group together to level up your leadership. We provide the content, you lead the training!
JOIN A COMMITTEE
Signature Events & Advisory Board
Advisory board members commit to a two-year term where they their skills and connections to expand our reach at the local *There is an application and interview process for this volunteer
For inquires, contact KristinAnnJanishefski@BestBuddies.org
WALK
San Diego Advisory Board
San Francisco Advisory Board San Francisco Advisory Board
Thank you for your leadership and dedication to our programs all year long!
Kimberly Hazard, Board Chair Director Of Operations
High Flying Foods
Frances Aguilar
Founder of the Best Buddies Chapter at the Academy of Our Lady of Peace
