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Best Buddies Blues Band gears up for the Paralympics

The Best Buddies Blues Band, also known as ‘BQUAD’, is group of high school students involved in an extra-curricular and curricular instrumental music program at Dr. Martin LeBoldus High School, Regina. They are launching a fundraising effort allowing them to perform at the Paralympics in Vancouver. CBC Regina provided this coverage.  


 

Updates from the East Coast

The November 2009 New Brunswick Association for Community Living newsletter features stories from four of our chapters: Université de Moncton Campus d'Edmundston, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton and Mount Allison University.  


Sharing Breakfast with Best Buddies

 Windsor Secondary in North Vancouver, BC was featured on CityTV's Breakfast Television on November 10.  The station heard about Best Buddies' recognition from Maxwell House as one of the Brew Some Good contest winners, in which Best Buddies received a $10,000 donation from Maxwell House.  


 

 

 

Best Buddies looking to rebuild in Fort Frances

"The most dedicated chapter in Ontario" at Fort Frances High School, received some media attention in its efforts to recruit new students. 

Check out the article here. 


 

Video of 2009 Conference Speaker

Robert Pio Hajjar, of IDEAL-WAY spoke at the 2009 Best Buddies Regional Leadership Conference in Hamilton. His presentation was energetic and inspirational. Following his speech, many Best Buddies participants started a campaign to have him appear on Ellen. 

Check out a video of his speech. 


 


Securing club status for Best Buddies Ryerson

The Campus Coordinators of the Best Buddies program at Ryerson University, Kateryna Aksenchuk and Samiksha Singh, have been trying to get their chapters recognized as an official student club on campus. 

The Eyeopener, Ryerson's student newspaper, picked up their story


 

 

 

The Power of One - Spotlight on Best Buddies

Alex Beveridge and Samantha Kelsey, a buddy pair from McGill University, were recently featured on CTV Montreal's "Power of One" segment. The segment focuses on individuals doing great things in their community.

Check out the video here. Scroll down to see the video from June 28, 2009.


 



A Cash Boost for Best Buddies

Raymond Cowling honoured Best Buddies with a $500,000 donation, as part of the recently launched $10 million legacy campaign.

Get more information here.

Check out the National Post article here or here.
Check out the Globe and Mail article here or here.


 



Motorcycle Ride Highlights Unique Friendship Program New to Region

On June 6th, the road of about 200 motorcycle engines coming into Smiths Falls will serve to sing the praises of the Best Buddies program. The Motorcycle Ride with Best Buddies starts in Ottawa and travels to Smiths Falls and will include many dignitaries from the local and federal government.

Read the full story here.

Read a second story leading up to the event here.

Read a follow-up article from Smiths Falls here.


  

 

Best Buddies program delivers value for small investment

Best Buddies has been given a grant to expand in London-area schools. Deb Matthews, London-North-Centre MPP and Ontario's minister of children's and youth services, recently announced the $72,000 Ontario Trillium Foundation grant for Best Buddies.

Read the full story here.


 

 

Best Buddies Blues Band puts on their travelling shoes

The Best Buddies Blues Band from Dr. Martin LeBoldus High School in Regina has struck a note with fans in Saskatchewan and is looking to carry its tunes to audiences in British Columbia, attending the Paralympics next year in Vancouver.

Read the full story here and check out a video of the band performing.


 

 

Strathroy DCI launches program

105.7 myFM in Strathroy, Ontario spoke with Mitch Aveling and Chelsey Maden, two students in the recently formed Best Buddies chapter at Strathroy District Collegiate Institute about their friends.

Check it out here, and listen to an audio clip.



 

Another successful Dodge Ball tourney in North Bay

For the third year in a row, the Best Buddies chapters in North Bay, ON, held a successful Dodge Ball Tournament. On Saturday, March 7th, 2009, about 150 people gathered at Algonquin High School, helping to raise more than $750.

Read the full story and see some pictures here.


  

Best Buddies Bond at Westview Secondary School

Westivew Secondary School, in Maple Ridge, BC, launched the Best Buddies program in 2008, and is the first chapter in the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows school district to pilot the program, to outstanding success. The chapter was highlighted in their local paper recently.

Read the full story here.


  

 
Best Buddies Chapter President wins YMCA Award

Jennifer Guillemette, Chapter President for the Best Buddies chapter at Chippewa Secondary School recently received a YMCA Peace Medal from the YMCA of North Bay, for her involvement in Best Buddies, and other charities. 

Read the full story here.


  

 

 Student Volunteer up for Russ Jackson Award

Harrison Petropolis, a student buddy with the St. Francis Xavier chapter of Best Buddies has been awarded Atlantic University Sport Student-Athlete Community Service Award winner and is the conference nominee for the Russ Jackson Award,  which recognizes a Canadian university football player who excels on the field, in academics, and in community service.

Read more here.


  

 
Focus on Best Buddies in Thunder Bay

Our chapters in Thunder Bay, at Lakehead University and Confederation College, received some media attention as they worked to recruit students.

Read the stories here and here.


 

14th Annual Best Buddies conference a success!

For the first time since its inception 15 years ago, Best Buddies Canada is holding its National Leadership and Development Conference from August 7th-10th in Montreal at John Abbott College.

Read the full story

 


 

Best Buddies Almaguin receives $5,000 boost

The Best Buddies chapter at Almaguin Highlands Secondary School received $5,000 in funding from the Toskan Casale Foundation's Youth and Philanthropy Initiative to end the 2008 school year.

Read the full story

 


Highlighted in the Catholic Register

The Best Buddies program reaches out not only to these students with special needs but to the entire school community”.
TORONTO - Nicole Alvarez would have never imagined spending her final year of high school initiating a program for students with physical and mental difficulties. Yet despite the heavy grade 12 workload, Alvarez found herself starting the Best Buddies program at Francis Libermann Catholic Secondary School in Toronto. The program enables students of every grade to spend some time with students who have physical or mental challenges.

Read the full Story
 

Thrill of the Ascot

CTV visits Best Buddies at The 2008 Thrill and Fashion of the Ascot. Held at the Woodbine Race Track, the event was an entertaining and successful fundraiser.

Video Includes interviews with Buddies, Students and Danial Greenglass

See the CTV Video Report.

 


Annual Gala

Our 14th annual Gala was incredibly successful, featuring special guests Shirley MacLaine and songstress Chantal Kreviazuk. The event raised $850,000 for the Best Buddies program. 

More details on the Annual Galas.


   

Best Buddies Chapter President honoured as one of YMCA's Women of Excellence in 2007

Sabrina Karim, one of the students who helped found the Best Buddies chapter at Catholic Central High School in London, was honoured as one of the YMCA's Women of Excellent in 2007, in London, ON. Read more here


   

 

Blast from the past

Check out some older articles:
- A feature in Abilities Magazine from 1999
- A feature from the Ottawa Citizen
- A focus on Sacred Heart's chapter, in Newmarket, from 2004
- An article from our 1998 Gala from the Toronto Sun
- An article on our 1997 Gala from the Toronto Star
- Articles on our 1996 Gala: Toronto Star, Toronto Sun
- Articles on our first Gala, in 1995: Toronto Sun, Globe and Mail, Toronto Star
- A feature on Anthony Kennedy Shriver in People Magazine, from 1995
- Our first piece of media coverage, a feature in the Toronto Star, from August 1994 


   

 
Best Buddies Head Office: 907-1243 Islington Ave. M8X 1Y9 Toronto, Ontario
Phone: 416-531-0003 - Toll Free: 1-888-779-0061 - Fax: 416-531-0325 - Email: info@bestbuddies.ca
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