Best Buddies Maryland Awards Mount as Most Improved Chapter

by  Mary Margaret Coughlin, '08

Best Buddies is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. The program provides opportunities for one to one friendships and integrated employment.

Founded in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver, it has grown from one chapter to more than 1,300 middle school, high school and college chapters across the country and internationally.  

Best Buddies Maryland celebrated their accomplishments this year with their annual Best of Maryland Awards.  The Mount’s  Chapter Director Blair Aiken was nominated for the “Best Chapter Buddy Director” and the university’s Chapter of Best Buddies was nominated and awarded for “Most Improved Chapter.”

A senior, Aiken has been part of  Best Buddies since her freshman year and became the Chapter Buddy Director in the spring of 2007.  Aiken said, “Our buddies come from the ARC of Carroll County in Westminster and range in age from 25-80 years old.  On average we have approximately 20 buddies that sign up, but on the past, only a very small number of Mount students participated.  However, this year we had 15 students join, compared to the 5 we had last year. 

We pair each college student with a buddy and they are expected to keep weekly contact with each other to build a strong one on one friendship.” 

Unlike other colleges, “the Mount is one of the few schools around that have a group event each month (sometimes more) with the buddies and the students,” Aiken said. Some of these activities include arts and crafts, games, trips to the zoo, going to the movies, and attending Frederick Keys game.

Aiken plans to continue participating in Best Buddies after graduation.  “I hope to become involved with Best Buddies Citizen, which allows people that are no longer in school to still be a buddy.”