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Best Buddies Champion of the YearBest Buddies Champion of the Year
Best Buddies Champion of the YearBest Buddies Champion of the Year
  • About Champions
    • Nominate a Champion
    • Circle of Champions
    • FAQ
    • Find Other Events
  • About Best Buddies
  • Donate
    • Donate to a Champion
    • General Event Donation
  • RSVP
  • Login

Chef & Champion Challenge

October 19, 2023

5:30 PM – 9:00 PM | Des Moines, IA

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Join us for an evening of food and friendship at the Knapp Center in Des Moines for hearty appetizers and desserts prepared by chefs from fifteen area restaurants and Best Buddies Iowa buddy pairs. The evening will include drinks, silent and live auctions, feature remarks from key Best Buddies Iowa Ambassadors and volunteer leaders and will feature a program lead by Steve Berry and Linsey Birusingh with special guests Tyler Steinke and Lauren Kaduce.

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Thank You!!!

Thank you for participating in this year’s Champion of the Year event! Because of you, we were able to raise funds to sustain and help expand our Best Buddies programs in the area. We look forward to having you at next year’s event. With your help and support, our mission of inclusion lives on!

Schedule

Thursday, October 19, 2023
5:00 PM: Registration begins
5:30 PM: Doors Open
9:00 PM: Event Concludes

Location

Knapp Center
2525 Forest Ave.
Des Moines, IA

Event Contact

CarrieMueller@bestbuddies.org
TedRives@bestbuddies.org

Meet our 2023 Champion Candidates…

Nominate a Champion

Kimberly Krantz

Congrats to our 2022 Iowa Champion of the Year

 

Kimberly Krantz

Raised $50,900 for Best Buddies in Iowa

 

Click here for our Nationwide Champion Winners

A Glimpse of the Party…

  • picture of food
  • Buddies cooking
  • buddies cooking
  • buddy chefs
  • event attendees around table
  • event attendees in front of step and report banner
  • attendees bidding on auction items
  • attendees around best buddies logo sign
Best Buddies logo

Why Participate...

All funds raised benefit Best Buddies – the world’s largest organization dedicated to ending the social, physical and economic isolation of the 200 million people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Our programs empower the special abilities of people with IDD by helping them form meaningful friendships with their peers, secure successful jobs, live independently, improve public speaking, self-advocacy and communication skills, and feel valued by society.

The IDD community that Best Buddies serves includes, but is not limited to, people with Down Syndrome, Autism, Fragile X, Williams Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, traumatic brain injury and other undiagnosed disabilities.

Learn More
Frequently Asked Questions
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We Love our Sponsors!

Presenting Sponsor:

Sammons Finacial
Additional Sponsors:

  • Tumea and Sons Sponsor Logo
  • Trumans Sponsor Logo
  • Gilbert and Cook Sponsor Logo
  • Fongs Pizza Sponsor Logo
  • Destination Grill Sponsor Logo
  • Buzzard Billys Sponsor Logo
  • Boyle Capital Sponsor Logo
  • steer and stein
  • aura
  • wasabi
  • farmers mutual hall
  • american equity
  • west bank
  • mercedes-benz
  • christophers jewelry

For sponsorship opportunities and other event inquiries, please contact:

CarrieMueller@bestbuddies.org

TedRives@bestbuddies.org