A message from Best Buddies Co-President

My name is Rachel Gates, and I am the current co-president of the Seaford High School Best Buddies program.

I would like to tell you about this amazing, life changing organization called Best Buddies! It was founded in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver,

Best Buddies and is a nonprofit 501(c ) (3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for

one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development

for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We are having a fundraising Best Buddies Friendship Walk on May 12, 2012. I have attached a flyer with information and pictures of myself, my co-president, and two of our buddies. I am reaching out to all of you with a heartfelt plea to please "sponsor a walker", or make a donation to the Seaford Buddies Friendship Walk team, please go to:

http://www.bestbuddiesnewyork.org/liwalkand click "SPONSOR WALKER".

Type in Rachel Gates, enter your donation amount, and follow the next

steps to complete the donation. Donations can also be made directly to our chapter, as we run our school program from donations, and we need funds to keep our awesome program going. Checks can be made out to Seaford Best Buddies and are tax deductible and you can send checks to: Rachel Gates 2166 Fir Street, Wantagh, NY 11793

I believe this is the most personally significant contribution I have made to my school and community. My involvement with Best Buddies will now be a lifetime commitment. When I first joined Best Buddies (BB), I never thought I would become so passionate about a school club. Although I was involved in other service clubs, this one was different. With this club, you become emotionally involved and as a result, you are inspired daily. The children in our school with intellectual and developmental disabilities ( IDD) have a hard time fitting in and dealing with their problems. BB groups students without IDD with students with IDD so they can have a constant and attainable support system. Realizing that everyday another person’s life is better because you are in it is a heartwarming feeling! When we see each other in the hall they can feel happy to have someone to wave to and be social. We set up outings and activities every week. One student constantly texts me for advice, and I am always there for her. I love being able to help boost self-confidence and morale, and I am in awe of their inner strength. Our chapter is fortunate enough to have more volunteers than students with IDD. Before BB , I was your average teenager who without realizing it, heard people around me around utter phrases like “That’s so retarded”, or “That’s so gay! “and I did nothing about it. After working with BB and being inspired by the speakers with IDD at a leadership conference, I will NEVER let people around me utter those hurtful words again. We learned that we should help eliminate the “R-word” and make the world see how amazing, strong, and contributing to society people with IDD can be. My co-president and I made a “Spread the word to end the word” video that went viral.

Once again, please help support our BB program and help us change the world for the better, one day at a time! If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail me at princegrimmy@aol.com.

Thank you in advance for your support,