Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023
6:00 PM – 10:30 PM | Dallas, TX
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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!
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
Saturday, November 4, 2023
6:00 PM Cocktail Hour and Silent Auction
7:30 PM Dinner, Event Program, Live Auction
9:00 PM Dancing and Entertainment
10:30 PM Event Ends
Location
The Statler Hotel
1914 Commerce St.
Dallas, TX 75201
Event Contact
Meet our 2023 North Texas Champion Candidates…
Honorary Chair: Mylinh Luong
Mylinh’s personal mission is to inspire others to use their voice to make an impactful difference in our community and the world. With 22 years of professional sourcing and product development experience, Mylinh has delivered across all areas of global and regional strategy sourcing, procurement operations, and commodity management. Mylinh is currently Director of Strategic Sourcing at GoodPop where she oversees and manages the materials aspect of a GoodPop’s production process.
Trailblazer Award: Demetrice Smith
Dr. Demetrice Smith currently leads the Capable Minds, Hearts & Hands IDD Outreach program for The Potter’s House, impacting over 6,000 families globally. She launched the first-of-its-kind IDD Leadership Consortium, bringing leaders and advocates from around the world to a quarterly roundtable to share best practices, develop new collaborative opportunities, cross-pollinate community events, and drive change in local policies specifically access in the areas of education, housing, and transportation for individuals with disabilities.
Celebrity Champion Mission Partner Kelsey Hogan
Kelsey Hogan grew up knowing something was different, but not knowing exactly what it was. As an adult, testing resulted in nine different diagnoses…and the most common question remains: “What does a disabled person look like?” Beyond identifying as someone with IDD, Kelsey works full time in IT and has her own business consulting on ADA compliance for websites and the importance of inclusion in the digital spaces. Kelsey has been an ambassador for Best Buddies for over a year with her message that “we all share 90% of our DNA and we should celebrate the differences in humanity.”
Congrats to our 2022 North Texas Champion of the Year
Chris Boult and Annemarie Carrigan
Raised $80,850 for Best Buddies in North Texas
Click here for our Nationwide Champion Winners
A Glimpse of the Party…
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.
We Love our Sponsors!
For sponsorship opportunities and other event inquiries, please contact:
TracyChurchman@bestbuddies.org
214.242.9908