2023 Best Buddies Ohio Impact Report

You’re making a difference.

Thank you!

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Message From Our

State Director Dear Friends, All of us at Best Buddies in Ohio extend our deepest appreciation to our wonderful participants, families, volunteers, donors, and corporate partners for such a successful 2023! Your support and dedication to our mission helps our programs grow, creating more inclusive communities throughout our state.

Happy Holidays to you and yours and here’s to continued growth in 2024!

In Friendship, Catlin Skufca State Director

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Here’s what we’ve accomplished, Because of your support in

2023 3

One-to-One Friendship Program 43 TOTAL CHAPTERS

1,600 TOTAL

Hastings Middle School

Westlake High School

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PARTICIPANTS

Middle Schools

16 High Schools

15 Colleges

16,000

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IMPACTED

Citizens

University of Toledo

Ohio State University

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Meet Brooklynn & Tiffany “High school is a tough time, but it has made it easier with my buddy’s support. Having friends at school who care about you makes all the difference in the world. I can go into the school and be down, or just having an off day, but seeing her always brightens up my day.”

-Tiffany 5

Leadership Development Program

300 AMBASSADORS PARTICIPANTS

4 TRAININGS STATEWIDE

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Ambassador Training Ambassador Training is a key part of our Leadership Development Pillar. This program helps our participants become better selfadvocates and representatives of inclusion. Ambassador Training can be more than just speech writing. This year, we even teamed up with Project SEARCH to teach young leaders about social media etiquette and safety.

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In July, nearly 30 leaders from all over Ohio, both with and without IDD, attended our 32nd Annual Best Buddies Leadership Conference. They participated in personalized trainings that develop the skills needed to organize and lead a Best Buddies chapter!

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Spread The Word is an ongoing movement to end the hurtful and demeaning use of the word “retard(ed).”

Chapters throughout Ohio held

awareness events at their respective schools in March. Our Best Buddies participants raised the consciousness of their classmates about the dehumanizing

effects of using the R-Word and encouraged people to pledge to use more inclusive language.

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Raised

$125,985 Nearly 900, participants,

corporate partners and community members walked for inclusion!

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Raised

$245,444 Nearly 400 supporters came together for our annual Gala in celebration of the collective

efforts of our 17 Champions who raised funds and awareness to support our mission!

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