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

• Welcome back, great people! We are so glad to have you with our community this year!

• We hope that you join us for our FIRST EVER Best Buddies in Georgia Buddy Bash on Saturday, September 7th from 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. at Fun Spot Atlanta, 1675 GA-85, Fayetteville, GA 30214! Thrill rides, an arcade, and so much more! Bring your Best Buddies gear and click HERE to register.

• Registration is NOW OPEN for in-person Leadership Training Day on Saturday, September 14th from 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. at Insight Global,1224 Hammond Drive, Suite 1500, Atlanta, GA 30346! Please click HERE to register.

• August/September is recruitment season! Jumpstart the new school year by hosting a recruitment meeting to share Best Buddies info with your school. Also, don’t forget to plan to host your match parties by October and be mindful of the November 1st BB360 deadline! (Match parties are N/A for Elementary and Promoter Chapters)

• The 2024 Best Buddies Leadership Conference was one to remember! A special shout out to all of our chapter leaders who were able to join us this year

• Want to be involved in this year’s Champion of the Year? We love to have you! Please email our Deputy Director of Development, Catherine Justice at [email protected] if you want to be involved with our Champion of the Year. We would love to have you!

• Not an email person? Join our community on Remind to get updates there!

  • Faculty Advisors Remind Group - https://www.remind.com/join/764kgf2

  • Student Leaders Remind Group - https://www.remind.com/join/g8868e7

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

Welcome Back 🥳!

Greetings Faculty Advisors and Student Leaders!

Welcome to the start of an amazing school year🎉! We hope you had an awesome summer and are just as pumped as we are to dive into another fantastic school year. Best Buddies in Georgia is beyond thrilled to have you back with us! Whether you have been with our community for several years, been with us for less than a year, or brand new to the world of Best Buddies, let’s make this year incredible together!

We’ve got a ton of awesome events and initiatives planned to help you grow as leaders, make new friends, and create unforgettable memories. To stay in the loop, make sure to keep an eye on your emails and check our newsletters regularly. This is one of several ways that we communicate with you, so you don’t want to miss out on any of the fun!

What’s Coming Up:

📅 Best Buddies in Georgia 2024-2025 Calendar Dates:
Want to plan ahead for an exciting year? We have your back! Please click the button below for the 2024-2025 Best Buddies in Georgia calendar.

🌍 Leaders League, Wednesday, 8/21 at 6:00 p.m. via Zoom:
We hope you join us for our first Leaders League call at 6:00 p.m. via Zoom on Wednesday, August 21st! Leader’s League is an optional monthly call to connect virtually with other Best Buddies in Georgia schools to exchange ideas, ask questions, and receive support. If you can’t make a monthly call, please feel free to pass along the Zoom info to your Vice President or another officer! Please see the link below to register for the August Leaders League, as well as future Leaders League dates. Leaders League will take place every third Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.

🎢Best Buddies in Georgia Buddy Bash on Saturday, 9/7, from 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. at Fun Spot Atlanta:
Come hang out with us at our very first Best Buddies in Georgia Buddy Bash at Fun Spot Atlanta (1675 GA-85, Fayetteville, GA 30214), happening from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 7th! General admission is FREE for members who just want to enjoy the park without the rides, and it's only $39.95 if you want to join in on all the rides and festivities. Plus, parking is free too! We can't wait to see you there!

🥇Leadership Training Day on Saturday, 9/14 from 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. at Insight Global:
Save the date for a day packed with learning, team-building, and fun at Insight Global (1224 Hammond Drive, Suite 1500, Atlanta, GA 30346), from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 14th! It’s going to be an amazing opportunity to pick up some valuable leadership skills, meet new faces, and receive important information to help you successfully run your chapter. Leadership Training Day is mandatory for all school chapters. Don’t forget to RSVP by clicking the button below to secure your spot! If you can’t make it to the in-person event, no sweat! We will have Zoom sessions and recorded sessions as well, but please send us a courtesy message. Info coming soon!

🔍 Recruitment Meetings:
August and September are peak recruitment season months! This is your chance to share your passion and experiences to recruit potential new members to your chapter. Your enthusiasm and positive energy is key for wild success, so get ready to spread the word!

🤝 Friendship Match Parties:
Building strong connections is what we’re all about! It’s not too late to start planning for your match parties. Match parties are a great way for students to learn who they have been matched with in a friendship for the school year. (N/A for Elementary and Promoter Chapters)

📝 Member Applications:
During your recruitment meetings, you should encourage people to join Best Buddies! You can have them to join by visiting www.bestbuddies.org/join, or if you are in the process of selecting chapter leaders, they can join by visiting www.bestbuddies.org/lead.

We’re so excited for a year full of growth, learning, and memorable experiences. Your passion and dedication make all the difference, and together, we’re going to create something truly special.

As we get started, let’s remember that teamwork makes the dream work! Your unique talents and perspectives are what make our community thrive. We appreciate you for consistently doing the following:

• Upload Activities on BB360: Documenting and updating friendship matches, meetings, member rosters, and events on BB360 by the November 1st deadline (Friendship Matching is N/A for Elementary and Promoter Chapters). If you need help with this step, please reach out to me!

• Completing Monthly Chapter Check-In Form: Regularly fill out the required Chapter Check-In Form to update us on your chapter's progress every month.

• Attending Leadership Training Sessions: Sending at least one representative from your school to attend our mandatory training exercises (Leadership Training Day in August, Back to Best Buddies in February, and Leadership Conference in July - LC is optional for Elementary and Middle School Chapters)

• Planning Events, Fostering Friendships, and Having Fun: Planning at least five meetings and four events for the 2024-2025 year, and ensuring that everyone in your chapter is having fun!  

Once again, welcome back! Let’s make this school year unforgettable. If you have any questions or need help with anything, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected] or via my cell number at 770-778-3174.

Thanks for all you do, and looking forward to an amazing year together!

All the best,

Doug Peters
Deputy Director, Programs
Best Buddies in Georgia

Leadership Conference Re-Cap

We came, we saw, we conquered! Team Best Buddies in Georgia was present for the 2024 Best Buddies Leadership Conference, making our mark with thirty-eight students, faculty members, and staff traveling to Indiana University Bloomington this year. Nearly 2,000 people attended the conference in support and celebration of inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and it was a weekend full of friendship for all!

This was our second time attending BBLC, and we were thrilled to have nearly triple our attendance from last year from 14 to 38! We had student and faculty reps from ten of our high school and college chapters, and they’re all buzzing with excitement for the semester ahead. Our leaders soaked up tons of knowledge from panels, teamed up with other state and national delegations, and reignited their passion for disability inclusion in their schools and communities.

While our conference shined bright, we would be remiss if we did not mention how we appreciate all of our attendees for braving through unforeseen travel challenges with the global internet crisis. We want to extend a HUGE special shout out to our outstanding Collegiate Intern and UNG Chapter President, Izzie Keaton, for her assistance and excellent communication as we attempted to mitigate this issue. We also want to extend a note of appreciation to our UNG Chapter Vice-President, Kenzie Lundy, our Faculty Advisor from Blandford Elementary, Kristin Koontz, and a host of our Ambassadors who were unable to make it to the conference due to this unfortunate circumstance. We missed you greatly, we appreciate your patience, and we are SO glad to have you with us this year.

Thank you to the following attendees for representing Georgia strong! We look forward to seeing more schools with us next year!

• Shelbi Allen, Faculty Advisor - Marietta High School

• Kimia Askari, Chapter President - Denmark High School

• Jayla Barkley, Chapter Officer - Mary Persons High School

• Callaghan Finnegan, Chapter Member - The Paideia School

• Jerrica Green, Special Education Advisor - Fannin County High School

• Elizabeth Holloway, Special Education Advisor - Mary Persons High School

• Lashasta Johnson, Special Education Advisor - Mary Persons High School

• Callie Lewis, Chapter President - Fannin County High School

• Quateria Lowe, Chapter Officer - Mary Persons High School

• Kristen Moody, Special Education Advisor - Tattnall County High School

• Jamie Paul-Miller, Special Education Advisor - Marietta High School

• Catelyn Samuel, Chapter Officer - Denmark High School

• Charles Shaw, Chapter Officer - Denmark High School

• Laryah Shannon, Chapter Member - Mary Persons High School

• Deidre Stewart, Faculty Advisor - Dade County High School

• Hope Stiles, Chapter President - Fannin County High School

• Payton Sobon, Chapter President - Decatur High School

• Daysie Tait, Chapter Member - Denmark High School

• Alaney Towns, Chapter President - Middle Georgia State University

• Ryan Wachter, Chapter Officer - Denmark High School

• Jerzee Crabtree, Chapter President - Dade County High School

• Madison Windsor, Chapter Member - Dade County High School

• Rashawn White-Pam, Ambassador - Ambassadors

• Katie Wynn, Advisor - Fannin County High School

• Angela Yeager, Faculty Advisor - Denmark High School

For all of the training materials from this year’s Best Buddies Leadership Conference, please click the button below:

Recruitment Season is HERE!

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

As mentioned previously, 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 an optional call to connect with other Best Buddies leaders in our state!

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 live and in full effect! 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 as stated above. If you can’t make it in person, please let us know!

We have prizes for the first ten schools to register! Congratulations to Middle Georgia State University for being our first registered school and securing a prize on BBGA!

Best Buddies in Georgia Buddy Bash!

It’s that time again for Champion of the Year!

Are you interested in join us for a fun, fancy night in celebrating our mission? Join us on Friday, November 1st at the Biltmore Ballroom, 30 5th St Ne (At West Peachtree St), Atlanta, GA 30308! We are looking for more Champion Candidates to join in on our mission of inclusion AND for cool art projects to auction this year.

Interested in learning more? Please reach out to Catherine Justice at [email protected] or visit our website HERE.