Friendship Walk 2023 Kickoff

 

(Image Description: A group of people celebrating the 2022 Best Buddies Friendship Walk.)

Friendship Walk 2023 Kickoff

Believe it or not, the Best Buddies 2023 Friendship Walk is just around the corner! Best Buddies International is officially kicking off the Friendship Walk through its Launch Week, lasting from February 13th to 17th, and many chapters are making plans to coordinate involvement within their state's Friendship Walk. Below is an overview of the Friendship Walk and some tips about how your chapter should begin their efforts!

Overview

Starting in 2009, the Best Buddies Friendship Walk is "the leading walk in the country supporting inclusion for people with IDD." Ever since its founding, there have been more than 150,000 participants from 60 cities who have taken part in the Friendship Walk. While the Friendship Walk is certainly an event for chapter leaders and members to unite in the mission of inclusion, it also serves as a national fundraising campaign for Best Buddies International. Each dollar raised goes directly back to Best Buddies to amplify their mission in the organizational pillars of Friendship, Jobs, Leadership Development, and Inclusive Living. In 2022, Best Buddies Wisconsin raised over $60,000 during the Friendship Walk.

(Image Description: A series of incentives, including a $250, $500, $750, $1000, $1500, $2500, and $5000 incentive, are listed as part of the 2023 Friendship Walk.)

Tips for Friendship Walk

Here are some ways that your Best Buddies chapter can expand its involvement in the 2023 Friendship Walk and continue its commitment to inclusion!

1. First and foremost, register for your state's Friendship Walk through bestbuddiesfriendshipwalk.org. Without this critical step, your chapter unfortunately cannot participate in the Friendship Walk. Please be sure to complete this registration by March, as it will help tremendously with fundraising and organization purposes!

2. After registering, set up your chapter's fundraising page. Though Friendship Walk does not officially happen until May, starting this earlier enables your chapter to be more successful in fundraising. To set up this page, first make sure that you start a "New Team" when registering or request access to be a manager for your chapter's existing page. Then, create a unique URL so others can easily donate to your chapter's page. Finally, you can add a profile picture, caption, additional images, and more to maximize engagement and awareness!

3. Spread the word to your chapter. As prefaced earlier, getting the word out about Friendship Walk in the months prior is crucial to optimal attendance. You can accomplish this by sending out an email to your members about the specific date of Friendship Walk (listed in your state's unique page), making a social media post, and adding the details to your school's calendar. Also, in this email, encourage your members to make a donation to your chapter's campaign should they have the resources to do. Emphasize that each dollar makes a huge difference! And for every fundraising milestone, you have the opportunity to win some pretty cool prizes, such as Best Buddies merch and other gifts (which will be announced very soon!).

4. Think about smaller logistics like transportation. While we can get swept up in the bigger, more exciting picture of Friendship Walk, it's also important to discuss with your board and advisors about smaller details like transportation. For instance, if the location of your Friendship Walk is a substantial distance away from your school or district (such as 45 minutes or more), consider the possibility of hiring a school bus or a more convenient transportation option. By doing this, members are more encouraged to show up at Friendship Walk since they don't have to make longer travel plans. Additionally, think about any accommodations that need to be made or any concerns that should be addressed for your buddies and other members. Since the Friendship Walk itself is all about inclusion, it's imperative that you talk amongst board members or advisors to make sure everyone in your chapter feels included and comfortable during the walk later in May.

5. Get excited! The Friendship Walk is undoubtedly one of the most thrilling events of the year, as you have the opportunity to meet so many other local chapters, walk with your buddy in the spirit of inclusion, and enjoy music, food, and prizes. For me, attending the 2019 Friendship Walk during my freshman year of high school was one moment that truly drew me into the values of Best Buddies International. I hope that you similarly have an awesome experience at Friendship Walk as well!

Thanks for reading, and best of luck with planning for your Friendship Walk!

In friendship,

Nathan Moldavsky

YLC Member, Wisconsin