Best Buddies in Massachusetts & Rhode Island

Congratulations to Jose who started his job at Longfellow's Wayside Inn this month as the Redstone Schoolhouse Interpreter! Jose has already learned how to greet guests, clean the schoolhouse, give its history, and answer any questions. Thanks to Longfellow's Wayside Inn for being #InToHire! Are you #InToHire? Please contact Shiloh Murray, Director of Jobs in Massachusetts, at shilohmurray@bestbuddies.org!

We are so excited to recognize BBMARI native James Day Keith as our June Half Hour Hero! If you didn't know, James starred in Champions, a groundbreaking film about a group of basketball players who overcome their challenges. It is loosely based on true events! He is also a Best Buddies Celebrity Ambassador, a multi-sport Special Olympic athlete, and a very talented hand-stander! Join us today at 6pm over zoom to meet James, hear him share about his experiences and participate in a Q&A!

We had such an amazing time celebrating inclusion at the 2024 Best Buddies Hyannis Port Challenge last weekend! Congratulations and thank you to all of our MARI riders, volunteers, ambassadors, and supporters who made this day so special! We already can’t wait to be back in Hyannis Port for next year’s Challenge!

We can’t thank the amazing team at Planned Lifetime Assistance Network of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, Inc. (Planned Lifetime Assistance Network) enough for their continuous support and being absolute rockstars at championing inclusive hiring! ❤️  Your support breaks barriers and empowers incredible individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (#IDD) to shine! You're truly making a difference, and we're proud to call you our partner! 🙏 #ForeverGrateful #BBChallengeHP #InclusionLivesHere #IDD #ThisIsWhatInclusionLooksLike #Inclusion

Summer is right around the corner! Mark your calendar for our upcoming Best Buddies events in Massachusetts and Rhode Island! You can find details for all of these events by checking out our Upcoming Events page here: https://lnkd.in/eYtJbc97. Reach out to KellyOCallaghan@bestbuddies.org with any questions! We hope to see both new and returning friends this summer!

Happy #FriendshipFriday! Chelmsford High School had their annual visit to Zesty's Pizza where they were welcomed into the kitchen to make their own mini pizzas. They get to choose their toppings. It's a fun activity and time to hang out with friends. There were a lot of smiles and laughter! 

In honor of Mother's Day a couple weeks ago, this month we are recognizing Melissa Oddi-Morrison! As a mother of a child with Down Syndrome and the Executive Director of "The Heart in Art" non-profit, inclusion and belonging are at the core of her being and we so deeply admire her for it! Melissa's organization creates fun opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to participate in arts, yoga and cooking classes! She will be sharing some great opportunities for our participants and is excited to meet everyone, so you won't want to miss it! Use the QR code to access the zoom link for today's call which will be occurring at 5pm! Join us in celebrating this supermom!

Last Saturday we held our Central MA Friendship Walk at Polar Park! We had an amazing time celebrating friendship and inclusion in the local MA community! It was one of our best walks yet, and we couldn’t have done it without all of our supporters, sponsors, and friends! Thank you to Polar Park for hosting our event, and Planned Lifetime Assistance Network of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, Inc. for being our presenting sponsor! We would also like to thank our additional sponsors: Sounds2Syntax, Country Bank, Avidia Bank, the Aria Covey Foundation, Turkish Airlines, the Fontaine Community Foundation, Cornerstone Bank, Reliant Medical Group, Main Street Bank, The Hanover Insurance Group Foundation, the Golub Foundation, Federation for Children with Special Needs (FCSN), The WooSox Foundation, E Ink Corporation, and St. Mary's Credit Union! We hope to see you at our last Friendship Walk of the year in Boston on 10/19!

It’s officially walk week! We are just 5 days away from our Central MA Friendship Walk! Join us at Polar Park this Saturday, May 11th, for a fun day celebrating inclusion and friendship! Head to https://lnkd.in/dR6AtWcc to get registered for the walk today! Reach out to KatelynLabarre@bestbuddies.org with any questions. We hope to see you there!

This past Saturday we celebrated inclusion at the 2024 Rhode Island Friendship Walk! We are so grateful for all of our walkers, supporters, and friends who were able to join us for an amazing day! Thank you to Providence College for hosting our event, and Planned Lifetime Assistance Network of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, Inc. for being our presenting sponsor! We would also like to thank our additional sponsors: Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, Make Someone Happy, Touro Fraternal Association, Navigant Credit Union, Ballet RI, Hope Global, True Training Studio, RI Association of REALTORS, and studio47 Pilates! Together we were able to raise over $40,000 to support friendship and inclusion in Rhode Island! There are still two more opportunities to join us for our MA Friendship Walks- in Worcester on 5/11 and Boston on 10/19!