Canarelli Match Party

Check out some photos from Canarelli's Match Party!

Fundraising Tips for Friendship Walk - One Week Away!

Great news, friends! Our Friendship Walk and Festival of Friendship event is only one week away! Have you already singed up? Perfect! Need some help fundraising? Well, no worries! It's not too late! In fact, we're going to tell you how to raise $200 - in just one week! And, it's easy!

Here's what to do:

DAY ONE: Put in your own $20 ($20)
DAY TWO: Ask your best friend or spouse for $20 ($40)
DAY THREE: Ask two co-workers, your boss, etc for $20 ($80)
DAY FOUR: Ask your three relatives for $20 ($140)
DAY FIVE: Ask a neighbor for $20 ($160)
DAY SIX: Ask two people from church/temple or clubs/sports teams for $10 ($180)
DAY SEVEN: Ask the manager of your special store/restaurant for $20 ($200)

See? Totally do-able!

And, here are a few more ideas:


• Give something up - movie, manicure or dinner at an expensive restaurant - and contribute what you would have spent to the Friendship Walk.
  
• Host a fundraising party and ask attendees to pledge their support.
  
• Create a buddy system. Ask someone who cannot walk to help you collect donations.
  
• Bring your fundraising letter and Friendship Walk information everywhere.
  
• Ask one person a day to sponsor you in the Friendship Walk.
  
• Ask your friends to contribute to the Friendship Walk instead of purchasing a gift for your birthday, anniversary, or any occasion!

Of course, you all want to help raise money just because Best Buddies is so fabulous, and you want us to be able to keep making those awesome friendship matches, but to keep it interesting, we have some swag to give out!

Individual Incentives:


• Best Buddy Family ($1,000.00 +) - IPOD Nano
  
• Best Buddy ($500.00 +) - Best Buddies Sweatshirt
  
• Buddy ($250.00 +) - Best Buddies Water Bottle
  
• Friend ($50.00+) - Best Buddies Friendship Walk T-shirt

Team Incentives (* incentives for teams of ten or less)


• Team Best Buddies ($10,000.00 +) - to be announced *
  
• Team Buddies ($5,000.00+) - Best Buddies Friendship Walk Group Photo and Frames for the team*
  
• Team Friendship ($2,500.00 +) - Best Buddies Friendship Walk Commemorative Pins for the team*
  

If you still haven't signed up, it's not too late! Just go to: http://www.bestbuddiesnevada.org/walk

If you can't make it out on Saturday, how about sponsoring someone else? Search for one of your friends here. It's easy to make a donation online!

Good luck everyone! See you next week!!

Miracle League of Las Vegas Grand Opening

The Miracle League of Las Vegas will kick of its 1st Season on April 10!

For more info or to get involved with the Miracle League, visit their website at: miracleleaguelasvegas.com!

Check out some photos from the Grand Opening on November 21, 2009:

Ribbon cutting ceremony

Grant and Dan McCarty rounding the bases!

Benjamin Ray and Casper Collins heading for 3rd base

Rosie Scalf hitting the ball

Team Best Buddies players heading for home!
(Robbie Vojel, Julius Ibasco, David Johnson, and Matthew Rengel)

Team Best Buddies:

First Row (left to right): Megan Lavoie, Quintin, Benjamin Ray, Casper Collins, Dan McCarty, Bill Madlock, Grant McCarty, Mike Ross Second Row: Bryan Lounge, Matt Lavoie, Erin McGlynn, Christine Walker, Matthew Rengel, Julius Ibasco, Jody Yap, Sheila Pankas, Jose, Marc McFadden, Marie Corsinelli, Kim Lavoie, James McCarty, Robbie Vojel, David Johnson, Carrie Knepp, Rosie Scalf.

Week 10 Contest at Best Buddies International

What was your most memorable night out with your buddy? Best Buddies International wants to hear all about it!

Enter their weekly contest here:
http://www.bestbuddies.org/joinourglobalmovement

Entries are accepted until midnight tomorrow night, March 18!

They chose a winner from Best Buddies Nevada two weeks ago. Think we can get another one?

The winner will be announced Friday!

Good luck!

Do you have a great story about you and your buddy? Let us know in the comments. We'd love to post it on our blog, too!

A Note from Josh Myles, Durango High School Chapter President

Best Buddies is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that was founded in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver. Best Buddies is a vibrant organization that has grown from one original college chapter to more than 1,400 college, high school, and middle school campuses across the globe. The mission of Best Buddies is to establish a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Best Buddies Nevada opened its doors in July of 2008. Best Buddies was introduced to me in May 2009 during AVID class and I signed up for the President’s position. In July 2009, I was on a plane to Indiana to my first Best Buddies Leadership Conference and it changed my life completely. I understood what my position meant, what Best Buddies mission is about and the lives I was impacting. Once the school year started we passionately began our efforts building Best Buddies Durango determined to have a successful launch. With Layla Rouas as Vice President, Louise Palacios as Secretary, Borjana Djukic as Historian and Arianna Villobos as Publicist, Best Buddies Durango accomplished so much from doing fundraisers to having many successful friendships matched to being the #1 chapter in Nevada. As Lead Chapter President for Best Buddies Nevada’s High Schools Program, I meet with Chapter Presidents on a monthly basis and discuss events and problems within our chapters while managing the Durango Best Buddies movement.

In addition to the above, we held the “Spread the Word to End the Word” Campaign on March 3 on the school campus during lunches. This campaign is an ongoing effort by Special Olympics and Best Buddies to support and raise the awareness about the dehumanizing and hurtful effects of the word “retard(ed)” and encourage people to pledge to stop using this word. Durango High School and other high schools in Nevada hosted an R-word table. Best Buddies Durango received over 300 signatures from teachers, administrators and students who pledged not to use the R-word. It shows just how much Best Buddies has an impact on students with and without disabilities.

Today, our movement is as strong as ever and I invite you to join us as we change this world one friendship at a time.

-- Josh Myles
Durango High School Chapter President & Lead Chapter President for Best Buddies Nevada's High School Program