Best Buddies Pennsylvania

We are thrilled to share that the Best Buddies Pittsburgh TasteBuds event has been recognized with a prestigious Impact Award at the recent Best Buddies Staff Leadership Conference! This award highlights the collective efforts of everyone involved in making our mission-driven events impactful and successful. TasteBuds has become a symbol of dedication, creativity, and excellence in delivering unforgettable events that drive meaningful change. In less than a decade, the event has grown from 8 chefs raising $50,000 to 35 chefs and an incredible $382,000 raised in 2024. This growth has enabled Best Buddies in Pittsburgh to open 45 school friendship programs in Western Pennsylvania, creating more opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to build lasting connections and friendships. We owe this recognition to an incredible network of committee members, board members, chefs, restaurants, sponsors, donors, volunteers, and attendees who have come together to make this event a resounding success. A very special thank you to this year's Grand Champion Lindley Diecks for her efforts in raising over $70,000 to help expand Best Buddies programs in Pennsylvania! As we celebrate this recognition, we are already planning for the next unforgettable evening! Save the date for TasteBuds 2025, happening on Monday, December 8, 2025, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. BUT WAIT, THERE IS MORE!! We at Best Buddies in Pennsylvania are also thrilled to announce our very own Philadelphia Program Manager Olivia Steckman was awarded the 2024 Program Manager of the Year award at this years International Staff Conference! We are so proud of her efforts here in PA and also her continuous contributions to the organization as a whole!

We are so proud of our PM of the Year!

WHAT. A. NIGHT! Thank you so much to everyone who came out to support us in our 7th Annual TasteBuds event! We are so excited to say that we have raised $382,000 for Best Buddies Pennsylvania! Congratulations to Lindley Diecks, our Champion of the Year winner raising over $72,000 in her campaign for Best Buddies! And thank you to all of our other four champions for their amazing success in their campaigns. Thank you to all 35 restaurants that participated in this event with their sour chefs! We love seeing your friendships thrive each year. Thank you to our volunteers from BNY and US Steel for making this event run so smoothly. Thank you to our incredible Advisory Board and Committee for working to make this event a success all year. Finally, thank you to our sponsors who supported this event, especially to our presenting sponsor Qintel!

Tomorrow is the night that we have been waiting for all year! Tastebuds will begin at 6pm at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Weren’t able to snag tickets to the event? You can still support by donating to a Champion, submitting a general donation, or bidding in the Silent Auction. https://lnkd.in/ebdQRMuf

Thank you Heather Abraham and Celina Pompeani Mathison for having us on Talk Pittsburgh yesterday! Buy your TasteBuds tickets now! https://lnkd.in/ebdQRMuf

What an incredible night at the Philadelphia Champion of the Year Gala! Together, we raised $85,000 to support Best Buddies Pennsylvania This milestone brings us closer to creating more opportunities for inclusion and friendship in our community. A huge shoutout to our amazing State and Student Advisory Boards for their dedication, our inspiring Grand Champion Randy Hope Steen, the talented chefs and their sous chefs who made the evening delicious, and our phenomenal speaker, Jack Raihall, for sharing his story and reminding us why this mission matters. Thank you to everyone who attended, donated, and supported. Together, we are making a difference!

What an amazing Ambassador training with Giant Eagle, Inc. today! We trained 5 ambassadors in speech writing and self advocacy for people with disabilities, specifically for our upcoming TasteBuds event on Monday, December 9th! Thank you so much Giant Eagle, Inc. for hosting us.

Today our Champion Debbie from Ally dressed as a shark at their Trunk or Treat event for her Champion Campaign! Check out more and donate to her champion campaign and learn more on our website: https://lnkd.in/e24MaQVF

Had a wonderful time at the Cities of Inclusion Disability Summit today, hosted by Special Olympics Pennsylvania! I was especially proud to see a Best Buddies Pennsylvania participant and student from Franklin Towne Charter High School speak about the importance of inclusion. A huge thank you to the amazing advisors of this chapter Sarah Levins and Rebecca Gilborges for their dedication and hard work, making this chapter so impactful! 💙

Today, Best Buddies Pennsylvania had the privilege of attending a wonderful luncheon hosted by Foundations Community Partnership, where we connected with fellow grantees and celebrated the amazing work being done to support the community in Bucks County. We are thrilled to announce that BB in PA is a proud new grantee of Foundations Community Partnership through their Partnership in Youth Services (PYS) grant program! We are incredibly grateful for their generous support, which will help us expand our efforts in Bucks County, fostering friendships, inclusion, and leadership opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). A huge thank you to Foundations Community Partnerships for believing in our mission and helping us make a difference! 💙🙌 #BestBuddies #Inclusion #Gratitude #CommunitySupport #BucksCounty