UH hosted the annual Best Buddies Friendship Walk and 5K run on Saturday in hopes of raising awareness and funds for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Best Buddies reached its fundraising goal of $125,000 that morning according to the Facebook page of Arden Stone, director for the Best Buddies Texas area.
“The money raised will go toward helping to fund the many organization chapters just starting out and will help maintain the chapters that are already doing great things,” said event volunteer Daniel Quijano.
According to its website, Best Buddies International is the world’s largest organization dedicated to ending the social, physical and economic isolation of the 200 million people with intellectual developmental disabilities.
The event consisted of a 5k run followed by a 1k walk. Awards were given to the top three male and female 5K finishers, the 5K team that raises the most money, the 5K team with the most registered runners and the 5K team with the wackiest outfits. The event concluded in a festival of live entertainment, food and games.
Best Buddies International aims to help people with IDD become more independent and valued members of our society by creating opportunities for one-to-one friendships, helping them find employment opportunities and providing leadership development for people with IDD, according to its website.
The University’s chapter helps in providing those one-to-one friendships.
The students meet with their buddies once or twice a month and take them to various events in the city, said Chrisdolyn Dawson, faculty advisor for the Best Buddies chapter on campus.
“We want to make them feel included,” Dawson said. “We build a relationship for these people with disabilities to have a friend and put them in an environment where it doesn’t matter if you have a disability or not.”
UH, along with several other university and high school chapters, were in attendance with their buddies in the event.
“The event will give our chapter exposure,” said Heena Momaya, UH’s chapter president. “And with our buddies being allowed to join us this year, it will show the impact we’re making here.”
Best Buddies chapters in Texas include UH, Houston Baptist University, University of St. Thomas, Texas A&M University, University of North Texas, Bellaire High School, Deer Park High School and several more.
“There is a lot of students at the university who may have been in the Best Buddies chapter of their high school who may not know that UH also has a chapter,” Dawson said. “So the event will definitely bring awareness to that and hopefully make our student organization stronger.”
Friendship walks for the Texas area are also being held in Dallas and Austin.
According to the organization’s website, more than 70,000 participants have walked to raise awareness for inclusion, friendship, leadership and opportunity for people with IDD since the event’s kickoff in 2009.
“We want to show them that just because they don’t get a lot of exposure to other types of environments, they aren’t outsiders,” Momaya said. “In fact, they are more alike to us than they are different.”
