Need the quick, brief details? We have you covered! Here is a summary:

• Registration is NOW OPEN for in-person Leadership Training Day on Saturday, September 9. 

• August/September is recruitment season! Jumpstart the new school year by hosting a recruitment meeting to share Best Buddies info with your school.

• Please attend Leader’s League on Tuesday, August 22, if you are available.

• Please email Robin Aldridge if you want to be involved with Champion of the Year.

• Gear up for an exciting year, and most importantly, have fun!

HELLO AND WELCOME BACK 🤩 !!!!

We are bringing in 2023-2024 with a brand-new look and format! We hope you like our costume change 😁. 

Welcome back to another exciting school year with Best Buddies! We hope you had a fantastic summer and are eager to dive into new experiences, opportunities, and challenges as we embark on this journey together.

Team BBGA is thrilled to have you back, and we can't wait to make this year the best one yet!

This year, we have an array of fantastic events and initiatives lined up, all aimed at helping you grow as leaders, foster new friendships, and make lasting memories.

To stay informed about all the exciting happenings, please remember to regularly check your emails and keep an eye on our newsletters. We'll be sending out crucial updates and information, so you won't want to miss a single one!

Leadership Conference Re-Cap

This year, we returned back to Indiana University for our first in-person Best Buddies Leadership Conference since the pandemic!

A SUPER HUGE Best Buddies shoutout and THANK YOU to this year’s BBLC attendees:

• Addison Genovese, Chapter President, Riverwood High School

• Alice Barile, Vice President, Denmark High School

• Andrew Dixon, Ambassador

• Angela Yeager, Faculty Advisor, Denmark High School

• Anna Warnke, Chapter President, UGA

• Izzie Keaton, Chapter President, UNG

• Jaspreet Bassi, Faculty Advisor, Denmark High School

• Kimia Askari, Chapter President, Denmark High School

• Lily Pomeranz, Secretary, Norcross High School

• Mara Ferent, Officer, Decatur High School

• Nathan King, Chapter President, Rutland High School

• Rashawn White-Pam, Ambassador

• Tonya Bush, Faculty Advisor, Cedar Grove High School

We look forward to seeing more schools and all of you next year!

Recruitment Season is HERE!

As you return to school, don’t waste time before starting to recruit new members to your Best Buddies chapter!

You’ll find a ton of helpful resources (and the BB logo!) for recruitment on Best Buddies University!

If you need support with recruitment, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Doug. Always happy to help!

August/September Events

Leader’s League

Leader’s League is a chance to connect with other Best Buddies leaders nationwide (Expansion) and statewide with your program manager (PM).

If you can’t make a monthly call, please feel free to pass along the Zoom info to your Vice President or another officer!

As always, if you need anything outside of these monthly calls, you can always shoot your PM, Doug, an e-mail to set up a time to chat one-on-one. We are also doing a raffle, so please try to jump on with us!

Leadership Training Day

Leadership Training Day (LTD) registration is now live! We look forward to seeing you for a fun day of information, ideas, and fun. As a kind reminder, it is mandatory for all chapters to attend Leadership Training Day, as well as other state-led training experiences.

We also received word from our HQ that all chapters are expected to ideally have one advisor, chapter president, and buddy member with IDD to attend Leadership Training Day.

A BIG Best Buddies shoutout to Ginger Collins for being the FIRST person to register! Because of this, we are sending her a surprise gift on Team BBGA. Congratulations, Ginger!

We have prizes for the FIRST FIVE schools to register for Leadership Training Day. Which schools will receive the remaining four prizes??? 👀 

Champion of the Year is Upon Us!

Our upcoming Champion of the Year Gala is happening on Friday, October 20th! We are looking for more Champion Candidates to join in on our mission of inclusion.

Nominations are open! To learn more please reach out to [email protected] or visit our website HERE.