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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
  • Auction
  • Donate
    • Support a Champion
    • General Event Donation
  • Login

Champion of the Year: Maine

unites and recognizes the community’s most active leaders in the name of inclusion.

October 21, 2022

Time: 6:00 PM | Portland, ME

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Thank You!!!

Thanks to your generosity and support, we raised $211,000 for Best Buddies in Maine at our 2022 COY Gala! These funds will be used to sustain and grow our school and Citizens programs here in Maine. Here’s to a 2023 full of expansion across the state. We greatly appreciate your support and can’t wait for next year’s Gala!

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Best Buddies Champion of the Year is a competitive fundraising campaign that unites and recognizes leaders of inclusion in local communities nationwide.

Champion Candidates commit to raising funds and awareness for Best Buddies throughout their campaign. Our Champions advocate for the Best Buddies mission and will generate countless opportunities for friendships, jobs, and leadership development. At the Best Buddies Champion of the Year celebration, we honor the Champions’ collective impact and name the ultimate Champion of the Year!

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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!

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Schedule

Friday, October 21, 2022
6:00 – 7:15: Cocktail hour
7:30: Dinner, Program and Dancing

Location

Brick South
8 Thompson’s Point Rd
Portland ME 04102

Event Contact

RebeccaWilliams@bestbuddies.org

Meet our 2022 Champion Candidates…

Nominate a Champion

Lauren Weber headshot

Congrats to our 2022 Maine Champion of the Year

 

Lauren Weber

Raised $42,000 for Best Buddies in Maine

 

Click here for our Nationwide Champion Winners

A Glimpse of the Party…

  • Enthusiastic Best Buddy participant at podium giving a speech
  • Male Buddy Pair at podium giving a speech
  • Group of three gala attendees smiling for the camera
  • Gala attendees holding up auction bid signs
  • Group of gala attendee smiling for the camera
  • Female champion candidate standing next to her campaign manager
  • Female Buddy Pair on stage with their hands in the air in celebration
  • Best Buddies participant in formal attire and sunglasses striking a pose
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.

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We Love our Sponsors!

Presenting Sponsor

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Additional Sponsors

  • WMTW 8 ABC Maine's The CW Over the Air 51 Cable 12 logo
  • Verrill logo
  • No Umbrella Media logo
  • Morgan Stanley The Breakwater Group at Morgan Stanley logo
  • Wex logo
  • SBSI logo
  • Headlight audio visual video logo
  • Flora Fauna logo
  • Days jeweler logo

For sponsorship opportunities and other event inquiries, please contact:

RebeccaWilliams@bestbuddies.org