2024 BBMN COY Program Book

Welcome to Best Buddies in Minnesota‘s 7th Annual Champion of the Year Gala! Thank you for spending the evening celebrating the magic of friendship and inclusion with us. At Best Buddies, we believe that no one should be denied friendship, kindness or connection because of their disability. Your support tonight makes that magical feeling of belonging a reality for kids and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities across Minnesota, who are too often excluded.

Our big dream at Best Buddies is to live in a world that is so inclusive that our programs aren’t needed anymore because no matter who you are, life is better when you feel like you belong. From elementary school through adulthood the Best Buddies mission of inclusion is changing lives and I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue growing our impact in Minnesota.

Thank you for being here and investing in inclusion!

Katey DeMarais State Director, Best Buddies in Minnesota

Share Your Pictures Use the hashtag #MagicOfInclusion and tag @bestbuddiesmn to share your photos from this evening with us!

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM AND FACEBOOK @bestbuddiesmn

Evening Schedule 5:30 PM

VIP Entry

6:00 PM

Cocktail Hour & Silent Auction

6:30 PM

Curtains Open

7:00 PM

Dinner & Program Hosted by Pauleen Le

8:00 PM

*Silent Auction Closes*

8:15 PM

Live Auction & Bid from the Heart

8:45 PM

Heads or Tails Game

9:00 PM

2024 Grand Champion Announcement

9:15 PM

After Party featuring DJ B-Rock

11:00 PM Event Concludes

How to Donate & Bid Register: Text MNCOY24 to 76278 Then donate and bid on your phone at MNCOY24.givesmart.com Help us reach our goal of raising $290,000! Every dollar raised supports our local programs and efforts in Minnesota.

Thank You To Our Sponsors!

SIGNATURE SPONSOR

PLATINUM SPONSORS

GOLD SPONSORS

SILVER SPONSORS

What is Champion of the Year?

Best Buddies Champion of the Year is a competitive fundraising campaign that unites and recognizes the community’s most active leaders of inclusion. Champion Candidates commit to raising funds and awareness for Best Buddies over an 8-12 week campaign.

Our Champions are advocates for the Best Buddies mission and will generate countless opportunities for friendships, jobs, leadership development, and inclusive living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Tonight we celebrate and honor the Champions’ collective impact and name the ultimate Champion of the Year!

2023 Champion of the Year

Sara Messerli Raised $44,416!

Congratulations to Sara Messerli for being crowned the 2023 Grand Champion! She and her Mission Partner, Maggie Erickson, raised over $44,000 to support Best Buddies programs throughout the state of Minnesota.

Sara Messerli is the Director of Human Resources at Doran Companies and a dedicated advocate for inclusivity in educational and workplace environments. Her passion for this cause is deeply rooted in her personal journey as a mother to her beloved son, Colin, who had intellectual and developmental disabilities. Sadly, Colin passed away in the spring of 2023, and Sara has channeled her grief into a powerful commitment to creating a lasting legacy for her son through her active involvement with Best Buddies.

In the face of personal tragedy, Sara has discovered a profound sense of purpose.

This was evident through her acceptance of her Champion of the Year nomination and now her service on the Best Buddies Minnesota Advisory Board. With unwavering determination, she aims to provide meaningful opportunities for individuals like Colin, who live with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Her ultimate goal is to empower them to lead enriching lives filled with genuine connections and foster a more inclusive society.

2024 Champion Candidates

Maisie Adams

Sam Arnold

Tricia Buhrow

Maureen Cahill

Jeremy Cmiel

Danielle Dahlstrom

Megan Henley

Meghan Stiling

Reilly Woodruff

Each of these individuals has committed countless hours over the last several weeks to raise funds and awareness for Best Buddies in Minnesota. The time, energy, and passion they have given is admirable and we are honored to celebrate them tonight.

Champions, it is a direct result of your efforts that more people than ever know of and support Best Buddies in Minnesota. The entire Best Buddies team is immensely grateful for your commitment and dedication to our mission of inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

2024 Mission Partners

Mikayla Holmgren

Max LeMay

Sophie Buhrow

Amelie Wall

Matthew Haas

Aidan Coughlin

Allie Henley

Grace Bohn

Reilly Hawley

Best Buddies believes that having someone to lean on and cheer you on is the best way to reach your goals, so we brought that to Champion of the Year with Mission Partners!

Each of these individuals has a connection to Best Buddies and were paired with a Champion Candidate to cheer them on, help spread the word about their campaigns, and share more about the impact of Best Buddies. Thank you Mission Partners for relentlessly working to make the world a more inclusive place!

A

T O

O U R

B I G

S P E C I A L

G U E S T S

Pauleen Le | Emcee WCCO Reporter Pauleen Le joined WCCO-TV as a reporter in April of 2022. She is a first generation Asian-American and is originally from Eagan, Minn. She graduated from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in communication and journalism and minoring in renaissance (general business) as well as political science. Pauleen began her career as a general assignment reporter in La Crosse, Wis. She also made stops in Green Bay, Wis. and Fort Wayne, Indiana. Prior to WCCO, she served as morning anchor at CBS 58 in Milwaukee, Wis. Pauleen's reports on some of the biggest stories in the last decade have been seen on HLN, CBS Mornings and the BBC. Her work has earned her an Emmy award and 14 Emmy nominations overall. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with family and friends and checking out the Twin Cities restaurant scene. Pauleen is a member of the Asian American Journalist Association.

Ben Telander & Bennett Kotzer | Mission Moment Buddy Pair at St. Anthony Middle School Ben and Bennett are 7th and 8th graders at St. Anthony Middle School where they were matched in a one-to-one friendship through their school’s Best Buddies chapter in 2023. While they met through the Best Buddies program, their friendship has gone beyond the school environment and they often get together after school and on the weekends. Some of their favorite things to do are play video games, hangout with their dogs and attend chapter events together. Their teacher and chapter advisor, Corey Hughes, started her own journey with Best Buddies when she was in middle school and has seen the positive impact firsthand, which led her to continue her involvement into adulthood.

Brock Stepan | Entertainment DJ B-Rock B-Rock is a vinyl DJ with roots in the Minneapolis hip-hop scene nearly 20 years ago. He has played at venues like Varsity Theater and Fine Line and set the musical stage for brands like Nike and the Vikings. Through decades of recorddigging he has curated over 3,000 records spanning multiple genres. Combining his wide selection with the technical chops honed on turntables, he is able recontextualize music in ways never heard before that stir the body to groove. Vinyl and a good hifi system offer the best music experience. His goal is to share this with others and guide them on their own music and hifi journey by making all aspects more accessible. Check him out on Instagram: @DJB_Rock

Bid From the Heart The Value of Your Donation Best Buddies helps individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (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. $10,000 | Best Buddies Friendship Ball Create a magical evening for school friendship program participants at the Best Buddies Friendship Ball. This inclusive school dance gives buddy pairs an evening to dress up and have fun together, an experience from which students with disabilities may otherwise be excluded. $5,000 | A New School Chapter Fund a new school chapter in the Best Buddies Friendship Program that builds one-to-one friendships between students with and without IDD from elementary school through college, creating a welcoming school environment for all. $2,500 | Support Adult Buddy Pairs Give the gift of friendship by supporting 5 one-to-one friendship matches in the Best Buddies Citizens adult friendship program that helps people with IDD become part of mainstream society and creates an inclusive and diverse community for all. $1,000 | Prepare Future Leaders Give a student leader or adult Ambassador the opportunity to attend the annual, unforgettable Best Buddies Leadership Conference at Indiana University, where they will learn to advocate for themselves and the larger IDD community. $500 | Chapter Welcome Kits Provide 5 school chapters with Welcome Kits full of supplies to help them recruit and train new members, host inclusive activities and promote inclusion at their school. $250 | Inclusive Chapter Activities Fund a group activity for a school or adult friendship program. Support school and community friendships by covering the cost of a fun, safe and inclusive activity or outing for the whole chapter.

Learn more & get involved: bestbuddies.org/minnesota

Proud to support Best Buddies

For over 100 years, a commitment to our communities has been one of RBC Wealth Management’s core values.

We are proud of our reputation for corporate citizenship and believe our most visible imprint is through the great work being done by the organizations we support.

Visit rbcwm.com/community to learn more about our community involvement.

© 2024 RBC Wealth Management, a division of RBC Capital Markets, LLC, registered investment adviser and Member NYSE/FINRA/SIPC. All rights reserved.

24-82-03361 (11/24)

A

T O

O U R

B I G

C H A M P I O N

C A N D I D A T E S

Maisie Adams | Mounds View High School North Oaks, Minnesota Maisie Adams, a junior at Mounds View High School, is honored to be one of the youngest nominees for Best Buddies Champion of the Year in Minnesota. Maisie got involved with Best Buddies in 2019 at the Dreaming Big Without Limits Fashion Show and has expanded her involvement each year, participating in Friendship Walks and fundraising initiatives, always valuing the mission of inclusion that Best Buddies promotes. Her dedication to community service was recently honored with a prestigious Gold U.S. Presidential Volunteer Award while establishing her own nonprofit organization and serving over 250 certified volunteer hours this year for various compassion and food security-focused organizations. Maisie is the current America’s Ideal Miss Minnesota Teen 2024. She is also the former America’s Most Beautiful Jr. Miss 2022 and she has represented the State of Minnesota at the national level for National American Miss, UNM and Princess of America. She greatly values the mission of inclusion that Best Buddies promotes.

Maisie is joined by her Mission Partner, Mikayla Holmgren.

Sam Arnold | Twin Cities Orthopedics Minneapolis, Minnesota Sam Arnold is a Doctor of Physical Therapy at Twin Cities Orthopedics in St. Louis Park and at Augsburg University. He has been a champion for inclusion since high school, working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in developing communication skills and in physical education classes. Best Buddies was introduced to him during his residency in Delaware, having a close friend work for the Maryland and Massachusetts chapters, where he got to see how the program gives an inclusive community to so many individuals. He joined the Minnesota chapter in 2021 and has helped plan the gala the last 3 years. Sam is grateful to be matched with his mission partner Max LeMay and looks forward to continuing to foster inclusion with Best Buddies throughout Minnesota.

Sam is joined by his Mission Partner, Max LeMay.

Tricia Buhrow | Federated Insurance Owatonna, Minnesota Tricia Buhrow is a Life Customer Service Supervisor at Federated Mutual Insurance Company. She’s also a mom of a child with IDD and the reason she got involved with Best Buddies. Both of her children joined chapters at their schools for the first time last year. Tricia is passionate about spreading awareness & inclusion in her community and wants to see Best Buddies grow in Southern Minnesota. Her daughter once said “I want a friend” and that is the number one reason she believes Best Buddies matters.

Tricia is joined by her Mission Partner and daughter, Sophie Buhrow.

Maureen Cahill | Bellmont Partners Prior Lake, Minnesota Maureen Cahill is a public relations and marketing executive who has more than 30 years experience in journalism, corporate communications, agency and nonprofit leadership. She is a partner at Bellmont Partners in Edina. Maureen has a passion for helping people and has been involved with many international, national and local nonprofits serving both as a board member and volunteer representing a variety of issues and causes. Maureen learned of Best Buddies through her daughter, Megan, and fell in love with the organization and wanted to get involved. She has been involved with Best Buddies Minnesota for the last three years serving on the Advisory Board and participating in the Twin Cities Citizens program. She is proud to be a Champion Candidate with her Mission Partner, Amelie Wall, to raise awareness about Best Buddies Minnesota and the importance of inclusion for all.

Maureen is joined by her Mission Partner, Amelie Wall.

Jeremy Cmiel | Anaplan Eden Prairie, Minnesota Jeremy Cmiel hails from Eden Prairie where he lives with his fiancé and 7-year old bonus daughter. He's an avid runner, golfer, and even runs his own hot sauce company. Jeremy works for a global software company, Anaplan, where he spends most of his days helping retail and consumer companies navigate tough planning challenges. He came to Best Buddies looking for a way to be in service to others and found a great buddy through the Citizens program, Keagan, who likes to play video games, DJ, and be outside. He thinks everyone should feel included and is grateful for the opportunity to be a Best Buddies Champion!

Jeremy is joined by his Mission Partner, Matthew Haas.

Danielle Dahlstrom | Anaplan Excelsior, Minnesota Danielle Dahlstrom is a born and raised Minnesotan, having grown up in St. Paul and now living on the other side of the river in Minnetonka. She has spent the past 25 years in the technology industry and now leads a product marketing team for a software company called Anaplan. Her personal life is filled with doing her best to keep up with friends, reading as many books as she can get her hands on, and supporting the incredibly busy social calendar of her Mission Partner and son, Aidan Coughlin. Danielle got involved with Best Buddies just over two years ago when Aidan joined the University of Minnesota chapter. In that time, she has witnessed firsthand the incredible impact of Best Buddies. Aidan has developed truly meaningful friendships, engaged in leadership responsibilities, and started expressing interest in mapping his future for work, living, and community life. When asked to accept the challenge of being a Best Buddies Champion of the Year candidate, Danielle jumped at the chance due to her passion for expanding the Best Buddies programming and spreading the inclusion mission.

Danielle is joined by her Mission Partner and son, Aidan Coughlin.

Megan Henley | ShopHQ Plymouth, Minnesota Megan Henley is a Supervising Producer at home shopping network, ShopHQ. Specializing in the jewelry category, she has collaborated with renowned designers, celebrities, and industry figures. Her work has taken her across the globe, broadcasting live from the Caribbean Sea to the hills of Tuscany. Megan was introduced to Best Buddies by her sister, Allie, who she considers her greatest inspiration. Allie is Megan’s Mission Partner, best friend, and constant reminder of the incredible power of friendship.

Megan is inspired by Best Buddies' mission and has seen firsthand the

profound impact that inclusive communities can have on the lives of individuals with disabilities. Seeing that impact has fueled her passion for creating a world where everyone feels valued and included, regardless of our differences. Megan credits her late mother, Betsy, for showing her the importance of charity, kindness, and boundless love.

Megan is joined by her Mission Partner and sister, Allie Henley.

Meghan Stiling | Berghuis & Hunt, Inc. Prior Lake, Minnesota Meghan Stiling is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management and the Vice President of Strategy and Operations at Berghuis & Hunt. In these roles, she brings her passion for education and continuous learning along with her expertise in strategic planning and digital transformation. Meghan has participated in past Best Buddies events and was moved by the mission and members to become more involved. She is proud to accept her Champion of the Year nomination from friend and Best Buddies Advisory Board member, Jason Hagman.

Meghan is inspired by the community, organization, and most notably her mission partner, Grace Bohn.

Driven by her commitment to creating a more inclusive and supportive community, Meghan believes that the friendships and support fostered by Best Buddies can make a meaningful difference in the lives of those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Meghan extends her heartfelt thanks to everyone in attendance for their generous contributions and encourages each of you to continue seeking ways to get involved and make an impact.

Meghan is joined by her Mission Partner, Grace Bohn.

Reilly Woodruff | Minnetonka Public Schools Minnetonka, Minnesota Reilly Woodruff is a special education teacher at Minnetonka Middle School West, where she leads the Best Buddies chapter, advises the Yearbook Club, and coaches the boys' tennis team. Since the start of her school's Best Buddies chapter in 2021, she has been committed to fostering an inclusive environment where every student can thrive. This year, her schools chapter has grown to over 80 students, making it the largest club in the school! Recently, Reilly joined the Best Buddies Citizens program, forming a meaningful bond with her buddy and mission partner, Reilly

Hawley. Inclusion is at the heart of everything she does, and she has seen how friendships can transform lives, especially those of her students. Reilly feels deeply honored by her nomination and is grateful to the entire Minnetonka community for their unwavering support of Best Buddies. This mission is more than just a role for her—it's her life's work.

Reilly is joined by her Mission Partner and buddy, Reilly Hawley.

Advisory Board and Gala Committee Stated in our mission, Best Buddies is a volunteer-led movement. The work we do would not be possible without the support of individuals who believe in the power of inclusion. Thank you to the Best Buddies in Minnesota Advisory Board and Gala Committee for dedicating their time and talents to bring this event to life.

Advisory Board David Zimmel, Board Chair | InPursuit Search Maureen Cahill | Bellmont Partners Tasha Feigh | Finley’s Barkery Madeleine Gagnon, M.D. | Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare Jason Hagman | Blue Yonder Jen Hawley | Jvhconnect Todd Hedtke | Winning Abilities LLC Chris Koenig | Voyage Wealth Architects Alicia Luther Toms, CFP | RBC Wealth Management

Sara Messerli | Human Resources Executive Alison Michelsen | Innova Solutions Jennifer Myster | Methodist Hospital

Gala Committee Megan Melroe, Gala Chair | Entrust Sam Arnold | Twin Cities Orthopedics Katie Gross | Saint Mary’s Graduate Student Sarah Halls | Hopkins Public Schools Alicia Luther Toms, CFP | RBC Wealth Management

N!

ATIO C O L W

NE

Walk. Celebrate. Support.

05.18.25 9:00 AM | Viking Lakes (Eagan, MN) The Best Buddies Friendship Walk is the leading walk in the country supporting inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (also known as IDD).

BESTBUDDIESFRIENDSHIPWALK.ORG/MINNESOTA

Best Buddies in Minnesota 612-460-7440 | minnesota@bestbuddies.org

MAKE A FRIEND | DONATE | VOLUNTEER To learn more & get involved, visit: BESTBUDDIES.ORG/MINNESOTA