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Welcome to the 2026 Best Buddies Champion of the Year Gala! Thank you for being here tonight and for being part of the incredible Best Buddies in Delaware community. This evening is a celebration of friendship, inclusion, and the extraordinary impact we can make when we come together to create a world where everyone belongs. Since 2022, Best Buddies Delaware has experienced tremendous growth, with participation increasing year after year. This growth represents so much more than numbers. It means more friendships formed, more opportunities for meaningful connections, more inclusive communities, and more individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities experiencing the belonging and acceptance they deserve. This past year has been one of our most successful yet! We proudly served 1,700 participants across 33 school chapters and two Citizens chapters, hosted 172 inclusive events, and facilitated approximately 300 one-to-one friendships. From a record-breaking Buddy Ball to a memorable trip to Longwood Gardens and our annual beach trip with the Bank of America group, our programs continue to create meaningful opportunities for friendship, connection, and fun. We also celebrated a recordbreaking 18 participants attending the Best Buddies International Leadership Conference in Indiana this year! We were especially proud to see Appoquinimink High School represented on stage, sharing their experience and involvement in the Cultural Exchange Program. These moments remind us that the impact of Best Buddies extends far beyond our local communities and empowers our participants to become leaders and advocates for inclusion. We are also investing in the next generation of changemakers. So far this school year, we have trained 66 student leaders—and we are just getting started! Their enthusiasm, dedication, and commitment to inclusion give us so much to look forward to as we continue expanding our reach across Delaware. None of this would be possible without the generosity and dedication of our incredible supporters. To our Champion of the Year candidates, champions, sponsors, donors, volunteers, educators, families, and community partners: thank you for believing in our mission and helping make these achievements possible. Your commitment creates opportunities for friendships that change lives and communities that embrace everyone. Tonight, your support is especially meaningful. The Champion of the Year Gala is our largest fundraiser of the year, and the funds raised help keep Best Buddies Delaware thriving. Your generosity allows us to grow our programs, strengthen our chapters, develop student leaders, and create even more opportunities for people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for your support!
Thank you, Brianna Wolfle MS, MBA Director, Mission Advancement
Order of Events 6:00 | Cocktail Hour 6:45 | Last Call for Drinks before Program 7:00 | Welcome & Joyful Noise Performance 7:30 | Dinner Break 8:00 | Silent Auction Closes 8:00 | Program Begins Heads or Tails
PHOTO CAN Live Auction GO HEREMoment Mission Fund-A-Need
9:00 | Grand Champion Winner Announced 9:15 | After Party Begins, Bar Reopens 10:00 | Party Ends *Auction and Fund-A-Need checkout will begin immediately following the conclusion of the program* Emcee & Auctioneer: Sheena Reagan
How to Bid on Silent Auction Register: Text DECOY26 to 76278 Mobile Bidding Site: DECOY26.givesmart.com
Thank You to our Sponsors!
A Special Thank You to The Zachary Scott Jones Foundation for their Continued Support of Best Buddies in Delaware!
2026 Champion Canidates
Joe Klees
Cassie Cooper
Mission Partner: Terrie Namkung
Mission Partner: Dennis Edelmann
Kara Flexer Mission Partner: Stacy Duker
Zoe MooneyDoyle
Lisa Wexler Mission Partner: Cynthia and Betty
Congratulations Lance Layton 2025 CHAMPION OF THE YEAR
Fund-A-Need The Value of Your Donation Supports Best Buddies helps form meaningful friendships, secure successful jobs, live independently, improve public speaking, self-advocacy and communications skills, all while feeling valued by society. $2,500 - Fund Buddy Ball! Every March, we celebrate Best Buddies Month with our annual Buddy Ball, a special night filled with music, dancing, laughter, and friendship! Help us make this Buddy Ball a night to remember, because every buddy deserves their moment to shine on the dance floor! $1,000 - Prepare Future Advocates! Send a participant to the Annual Best Buddies Leadership Conference (BBLC) in Bloomington, IN. BBLC unites Best Buddies leaders, volunteers, and community advocates from around the globe to imagine, create, lead and empower the future of the disability rights and inclusion movement. $500 - Sponsor Local Leaders Each September and February, our Local Leadership Trainings bring together passionate Best Buddies chapter leaders to build skills, spark new ideas, and learn how to create more inclusive communities. Your generous gift helps empower our leaders with the tools, confidence, and inspiration they need to make a difference all year long. $250 - Chapter Event Fun Support one of our 35 Delaware Chapters event activities! From fun-filled gatherings to friendship-building activities, chapter events bring Best Buddies members together to connect and build meaningful friendships. $100 - Match Made in Heaven Support a one-to-one peer friendship between someone with IDD and his or her peer; helping to build a mutually enriching connection that enhances the lives of program participants and their families.
THANK YOU TO OUR AUCTION DONORS Bob Schlosberg Delaware Lottery Surf Bagel Chick Fil A Kirkwood Brehanna Reese DE Banner Girl Made by Milli Mae Danielle Williams The Engine House The Pink Turtle Raising Canes Lisa Wexler Amy Farina Jenn Hammond Esthetics By Haley Kendra Scott Jesse’s Permanent Jewelry Massage Luxe The Post & Chef Daniel Sheridan Trump National Golf Course Philadelphia Art Museum Delaware Art Museum Philadelphia Orchestra Bradford Portraits Six Flags New Jersey Brandywine River Museum Schaefers Texas Roadhouse Gran Rodeo Buckleys Tavern Pizza By Elizabeths Big Fish Taco Grande Delaware Childrems Museum Harroy Savoy Grill BBC
Winterthur Gardens Longwood Gardens Hagley Museum Deerfield Wines Total Wine Wilmington Blue Rocks Elite Island Resorts Philadelphia Opera Helium Comedy Club Brandywine Zoo Lehigh Valley Zoo Philadelphia Rock Gym DE Museum of Nature and Science Hoffman Piano Academy Ashlee Emerson Dover Speedway Philadelphia Auto Show Eagles Autism Foundation Philadelphia Phillies University of Delaware Athletics Patrick and Jessica Burns Marriott Old City Titos Vodka Turning Point Del Pez Bar Reverie Iron Hill Brewery High Five Hospitality Kenny Family Foundation
Samantha McGeoch Travel Designer SamanthaM@Gotravel.com (302)-293-2747
Go Best Buddies & GOOD LUCK CASSIE AND DENNIS!
Best Buddies in Delaware DELAWARE@BESTBUDDIES.ORG 4023 KENNETT PIKE #415, GREENVILLE, DE 19807 302-824-3662
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