A New Outlook on Raising Babies with IDD: How Eunie’s Buddies is Transforming Parental Care Across the U.S.

Image Description: A joyful woman holds a smiling young girl with Down syndrome at an outdoor party, surrounded by colorful decorations.

Well, you know what time of year it is. It’s Best Buddies month! And here at the YLC we’re highlighting some important Best Buddies initiatives that are truly inspiring a new generation of change across the United States. 

Why don’t we start with the brand new program “Eunie’s Buddies”? Named after Eunice Kennedy Shriver — a pioneer for inclusion and the founder of the Special Olympics — Eunie’s Buddies is revolutionizing the way we’ve historically looked at parental outcomes for those parents just receiving news of their in-utero child’s intellectual and developmental disability (IDD). 

Not just that, but parents of children diagnosed in all early adolescents, from toddlers to eight year olds, are receiving much needed assistance. Best Buddies is evincing its foundational tenet of support big time here. And we’re all for it! 

Best Buddies has organized a blueprint for the program that — similar to its flourishing one-to -one friendship program — partners mentees with mentors. Say a mother has just found out about the undoubtedly life changing journey she will soon have to take on with her new baby. Well, through the Best Buddies website she can find help just a mouse click away. 

Having organized these meaningful conversations between mothers who’ve been through similar circumstances— albeit alone — and those who really don’t know where to start, Best Buddies has engendered real, tangible impact. 

In my home city of Miami, Fl, we find one of the program’s first real incubators of change. People like Camille Costa note the substantially positive experiences they’ve had as both mentors and mentees: “having someone by your side who has navigated a similar journey can positively impact the destiny of a family and their child.” 

Success stories like these are not one of a kind. They’re everywhere. And they’re occurring with all the greater frequency with the help of Eunie’s Buddies. 

In friendship,

Matthew Vila 

YLC Member, Florida